Repercussions
by Ada C. Eliana
Summary: Changed future. When Chris is targeted by a dark force and disappears, the Halliwells learn about the repercussions of the other Chris' trip to the past, how destiny righted itself, and what that means for Chris' fate – both of them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my second Charmed fanfiction, but really my 12th fanfic in all...**

**I love Chris, and came up with a (at least I think) very interesting idea for a story. I hope you will all enjoy it as well.

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or the characters.

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Repercussions

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter One: Teaser

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_Will I always,  
Will you always  
See the truth  
When it stares you in the face?_

"_Jillian" Within Temptation

* * *

_

Leo's heart banged against his ribs, beating fast and loud. The sound of his blood rushing in his ears overpowered the platitudes and compassion of the whitelighters. He had to find his son; he _had _to. His chest felt tight, his breathing constricted and panic overwhelming him.

When the combined powers of the Charmed Ones, Wyatt, and Lena had proved insufficient, Leo immediately went 'up there' to ask the Elders for help. He spoke with every Elder he could find and even several whitelighters.

No one knew anything, no one could help him.

He could barely believe how completely useless the Elders were. They kept giving him strange glances full of unspoken words, but no one would say anything. The Elders had been his last hope.

Spotting one more golden robe, Leo darted through the clear white surroundings towards him, an Elder named Seamus. Halfway there he stopped in his tracks, his body frozen by the sight of the young man in deep conversation with Seamus. He had spiky brown hair, green eyes, and a face Leo could never forget. Leo just stared at him for a moment as his heart slowed and his breathing regulated. Then he regained control of himself and ran to him, throwing his arms around him in wild abandon while shouting his name. "Chris! Chris! Thank God, thank God, thank God! Chris!"

"Um…. I think you've mistaken me for someone else," the man responded in a voice that sounded like music to Leo's ears. He pulled away from Leo, giving Leo a chance to look him over properly.

It took Leo a moment to realize that this person seemed different from his son. His gaze strayed to his eyes, and he finally spotted it. This was not his son who had disappeared weeks ago; this was his son that had been killed by Gideon's athame twenty-two years ago.

"_Chris?_" he whispered painfully.

"I don't know what's going on here, but my name is Peter."

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**A/N: That was just the teaser, much longer chapters to follow. I also realize the teaser was confusing, but it's meant to be.**

**So, do you like it, do you want to read more? Let me know with a review!**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Ada C. Eliana**


	2. Just a Typical Birthday

**A/N:** Edit: Important plot point fixed.

Since the teaser was so short and odd I thought I'd just update again.

Thanks so much to **Long-Live-Christopher, Embry, Ayana Starman, BlueJae, bstant, Good Witch, pmsdevil01 and cdfe88** for your reviews! I really appreciate them, thanks a lot!

All right, all right **cdfe88** Chris' birthday is in November. It'll just make this story take longer is all. But you're right, it does make more sense now that I stop and think about it. Although, for the record, if the season 6 finale takes place in November, than the next season's premier is just screwed as far as time placement goes.

And on another note: TNT is playing Season Six Charmed episodes! YAY!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed, the execs at the WB and Aaron Spelling and all of them do.

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**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter Two: Just A Typical Birthday

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_And we laugh till we cry  
Always so hard to say goodbye  
And we all sit round here in our home town  
It's so good like this, these are times we'll miss  
The memories, I hope will never fade_

"_Last Summer" Lost Prophets

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_

**8 Months Earlier**

Mornings in the Halliwell house were notorious for their utter chaos. And none gave way to such confusion as the days when birthday parties for the various family members were held. Not only did birthdays mean presents and special food, but it meant that person had survived another year of demon fighting. As such, celebration always ensued.

On the morning of Saturday, February 6th, 2027, just four days after Wyatt's twenty-fifth birthday, and the day of celebration for said birthday, Chris dragged himself wearily into the kitchen. He found his mother cooking up a feast, all of Wyatt's favorite breakfast foods. She must have started at the crack of dawn. Reaching for a muffin, Chris' hand was viciously swatted away.

"Those are for your brother's breakfast!" Piper chastised as she stood over the stove, an omelet cooking in front of her.

"All twelve!" Chris questioned, blinking his tired eyes repeatedly.

"No one eats until he comes down."

"Well if I know Wy, which I do, then it won't be for another three hours, and I really, really, _really_ want a muffin."

"Christopher," Piper said in a warning tone as a muffin floated telekinetically towards him. He sighed and put it back. "What are you doing up so early anyway? It is Saturday, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but this good little college student needs to meet with his study group this morning," Chris explained, with just a touch of sarcasm. He was currently attending medical school in hopes of becoming a doctor.

"Okay, just one—" she stopped when she saw Chris look up, and then roll his eyes.

"You freakin' kidding me?" he asked the sky.

"What?"

"Aunt Phoebe wants a ride over here." He paused and then shouted again. "Can't you people just drive!" He rolled his eyes again, Phoebe apparently responding over a telepathic connection. "It just might cost you…" He did not complete his sentence as Piper shot him a glare, and he orbed out.

* * *

"Your cosmic taxi has arrived," Chris quipped as he appeared in the drawing room of the Kalos mansion. 

"Chris!" a female voice shouted, as the voice's owner, a thin dark-haired young woman jumped at him. Unprepared for the catch; instead of leaping into his arms, the woman knocked Chris onto the floor, the pair bashing their heads on a small table as they fell. "Ow," she said tonelessly, sprawled on top of Chris, their legs and arms tangled.

"Good morning, Lena," Chris said, greeting his almost-twenty-year old cousin, Philena Halliwell-Kalos. Lena made to get off of him, but Chris rolled over, pinning her on the hardwood. "It's so very nice to see you."

"Chris!" Lena whined as he began to tickle her stomach. "Not fair!" she added in between laughs. "Stop it!"

"You should have thought of that before you attacked me!" Chris pointed out as she kicked his back with her bare feet. "Knock that off or I'll TK your feet to the floor!"

She closed her eyes for a second. "Oh no," Chris said. A moment later he was crashing to the floor again as her body disappeared in a swirl of orbs, reappearing behind him.

"Haha! I'm an empath, remember?"

"I gotta talk to Aunt Paige about them teaching channeling in Magic School," Chris said thoughtfully as Lena pulled him to his feet. Lena had inherited her magic from both her mother and father, receiving all of Phoebe's active powers, including the relatively new telepathy, and her father's use of the elements.

"Ah Chris, Lena, I thought I heard a pair of two year olds in here," Alec greeted. Tall and lean, with olive skin and slick black hair, and witch to boot, Alec Kalos had been quite the catch for Phoebe Halliwell.

"Oh come on, Daddy, it's Wyatt's birthday party day! A time for celebration!" Lena shouted.

"Yeah well tell him that, he's still sleeping," Chris rolled his eyes.

"What! But it's so pretty and bright outside!" Lena said. Chris noticed that her sea-green eyes were unnaturally wide.

"How much coffee have you had this morning?" Alec questioned suspiciously, studying his daughter.

"Hehe, you're implying that I only started drinking the coffee this morning, as if I slept at some point before this morning," she pointed out manically.

"And I thought teenagers were bad," Alec sighed.

"I distinctly remember my mom warning you that once kids go to college they become completely unmanageable," Chris laughed.

"I wanna go to the party! I wanna go to the party!" Lena screeched, throwing herself against Chris and waiting for him to orb.

Chris got a spacey look in his eyes, one synonymous with him thinking up a spell. "Chris…" Alec began in a warning tone, but it was too late.

"Too much caffeine my cousin has had

All of her energy just makes me mad

Lessen the effect on her attitude

Before I get really rude," Chris muttered off the cuff. Lena stiffened for a moment, and then blinked rapidly.

"Wooo this is the last time I volunteer to close up P3," Lena announced, her eyes back down to normal size. "Nice spell by the way." A second later, she smacked him, hard.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Using me as your personal magical guinea pig." She smacked him again.

"Agh! What this time!"

"That's your personal gain, cousin. Karma's a bitch," she laughed, tossing black locks over her shoulder.

"Chris! Are you here!" Phoebe called from the kitchen, wandering in. She had grown her hair out a bit, brown tresses (some artificial as she dyed the grays) cascading just past her shoulders.

"Yeah, at your beckon' call of course. If I knew you weren't going to be ready when I got here…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Phoebe sighed. "I remembered that I forgot to wrap Wyatt's present, and then… oh wait, you're a telekinetic, want to help?"

"Aunt Phoebe," Chris groaned.

"Plleeeeaaaasssseeeeee!"

The two stared each other down, Phoebe pleading, Chris stoic.

"Oh I'll do it," Alec sighed, walking into the kitchen.

A moment later he appeared, wrapped box in hand. "Everybody ready?" Alec asked.

"Just a second!" Lena said, her voice coming from the hall closet, where she was currently tossing shoes over her shoulders, searching for the right pair. Lena had inherited her mother's love of shoes and as such their walk-in closets in the bedrooms could never hold all of them. She stepped back out of the closet, and swung around to face her mother, her eyes dropping to her mother's feet, and her shoes. "Mom," she said angrily.

"You know, I actually do have places to be," Chris shouted.

"Oh fine," Phoebe muttered, tossing the gold pumps she wore at Lena and then picking up a pair of green ones from the floor. "We're ready."

"Great."

The four witches disappeared in a flash of blue and white lights.

* * *

They appeared in the kitchen to find Paige and her two fourteen-year-old twin daughters already there, and eating muffins. 

"I thought those were for Wyatt," Chris said, snatching one as he greeted his cousins.

"Hey girls," Lena said, hugging her Aunt Paige and taking a seat at the table beside Chris. The two redheads, Prue and Nel just shrugged and muttered hellos under their breath.

Twins, Prue was able to orb and use telekinesis. Nel – short for Penelope – was only able to heal. Neither showed much interest in magic. They used it rarely, and spoke of it even less. Therefore, they always felt uncomfortable around Wyatt, Chris, and Lena who thought demon hunting was a fun pastime.

"Where's the birthday boy?" Phoebe asked, digging into the breakfast foods. Piper just sighed and accepted defeat, letting them eat.

"Asleep," Chris answered, heading up to his room to finish getting ready.

"Running off to meet that blonde?" Lena shouted up the stairs. Chris ignored her.

"What blonde?" Piper demanded.

"Um… no one," Lena responded guiltily, shoving a muffin into her mouth to avoid any more questions.

"How did it go at the club last night?" Piper asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Lena had been a bartender at the club for two years, and she had recently accepted more responsibility there.

"Fine. No problems, human… or non-human," she added with a smile in Prue and Nel's direction. They ignored her.

"You should have seen Lena before we got here, she'd been drinking coffee all night," Alec laughed.

"You don't look like you're on a caffeine high," Paige said thoughtfully, studying her.

"Yeah, Chris whipped up a spell to take the edge off of my 'attitude'," Lena sighed. "And don't worry, I've already smacked him for it," she added with a glance at Piper.

"He can't just go around putting spells on people!" Piper exclaimed.

"Oh it wasn't 'people', it was Lena," Chris clarified, walking back into the room. "But if it will make you feel better…

"Guiding spirits, hear our plea,

Annul this magic, let it be"

A glow surrounded Lena, and a moment later she was a bit perkier than she had been. "I've got to get going, I'll see you later," Chris said, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leaving the kitchen.

"So… orange juice?" Phoebe asked, taking the liberty of pouring her over-caffeinated daughter a glass. "What'd everyone get Wyatt?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Nel smiled, always amused at Phoebe.

"Really? Well I got him this great—" She stopped when they heard two loud thumps from the entryway and a strangled cry.

"Chris?" Piper called, running in the direction of the noise, Lena, Phoebe, Alec, and Paige at her heels. Just in front of the door laid Chris, face-down on the runner, a black arrow protruding from his back. Her heart beating rapidly as she spied his unmoving form, Piper kneeled beside him, her hands gripping the hilt of the arrow.

Four darklighters smirked at the family, jumping down from their hiding places and approaching the anxious witches who had gathered together. Arrows sliced through the air, not discriminating between those with whitelighter blood and those without. Working quickly, Paige orbed the arrows away as the others ducked the first onslaught.

"Paige, heal Chris!" Piper shouted still on the floor, her hands covered in blood as she attempted to awaken her son.

"Lena, cover them," Phoebe requested, kicking the darklighter that approached her. Her daughter complied instantly, standing in front of Paige as she healed Chris, and Piper held his hand. She incinerated the darklighters approaching her with a blast of flame from her hand, and saw her father follow suit, vanquishing the other two.

"Paige, why isn't he healing?" Piper demanded; her voice low. Chris had stopped breathing, his blood staining the rug.

"I don't know… he should be…" Paige dropped off as the magic began to take effect, a warm glow emanating from her hands and into him. "There we go."

"Come on Chris, honey, you'll be okay," Piper whispered, rubbing his hand with her own. Seeing her boys in danger and hurt – it never got easier. The wound stitched itself back together, but Chris did not wake up.

"Maybe there was something other than poison on the arrow?" Lena said fearfully, staring at her prone cousin.

"I don't know. I'll orb him up to his room," Paige offered, placing one hand on Chris.

"No, Paige. Let's just get him over to the couch. I don't want him upstairs – just in case," Piper said, worried that the darklighters had been sent to subdue him, while a second team awaited their moment.

Paige complied, Piper remaining in the living room as guard while the others trooped back into the kitchen. They found Prue and Nel hiding under the kitchen table, clutching each other and ready to orb at the slightest indication of danger.

"The darklighters are gone," Paige announced, helping her daughters up. She would never admit it to anyone, but her daughters' reluctance to be part of anything magical disappointed her. She loved the contributions Piper and Phoebe's kids made, and as a professor at Magic School, she spent much of her time helping young witches come into their own.

"I'm gonna go check the Book, see if there's anything about darklighter poison that we don't know in there, okay?" Lena asked, the attack having sobered her. Phoebe nodded and Lena left the room, running up the stairs to the attic. There was very little chance that searching the Book of Shadows would help her in this instance, she practically knew the thing backwards and forwards, not to mention Chris had spent one summer years ago making a table of contents, but it gave her something to do. She hated idle time when someone was in danger.

"Great…" Phoebe sighed after a moment.

"At least it was a reasonably easy vanquish," Alec pointed out, always the optimist.

"Gee thanks hun, my nephew got shot in the back and wouldn't heal properly, but at least the vanquish was 'easy'," Phoebe snapped.

"Sorry," Alec responded, putting an arm around his wife.

"Uh… hey everybody," Wyatt said awkwardly from the doorway. Not seeing him, everyone jumped.

"Uh… happy birthday!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Let me guess, demon attack?" Wyatt asked with his no-nonsense voice. Chris' pain had woken him, but the feeling had passed so quickly that he wondered if he had felt it at all.

"No honey, no demons!" Phoebe cried, hugging him tightly. "Just darklighters," she added quietly.

"Is everyone okay?" Wyatt questioned as he scanned the kitchen for those with whitelighter blood.

"Your brother got hit, he hasn't woken up yet," Paige volunteered. "Lena's upstairs checking the Book."

"Hasn't woken up yet? What do you mean?" Wyatt demanded fearfully. "Didn't you heal him?" Paige nodded. Without another word Wyatt stormed into the living room to find his brother unconscious on the couch with his mother holding his hand.

"Hey sweetie," Piper greeted.

"How's Chris?" Wyatt asked, extending his hands over him. The healing glow came, but he had already been healed so it did not do anything.

"I don't know. Your father should be here soon, and then maybe he can find out."

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**A/N:** All right, there's the end of chapter two. I know you're all wondering how that fits in with the first chapter, but this is the beginning of the build-up. Also, since there will be a lot of characterization in this story it's important for you all to see how these characters act, interact, and react before the reeeeaaaallllllyyyyy bad stuff starts happening. So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. But there's only one way for me to know for sure – hit me with a review! 

Like this story? Check out my other Charmed fic "Bound By Blood." /end shameless plug.

Thanks for reading, please review!

Until next time,

_Ada C. Eliana_

**8/3/06**


	3. Of Demons and Family

**A/N:** Another week, another chapter, that's how it goes, folks! I'm really excited by the response I've gotten for this story, thank you so much. And thanks especially to **Sabrina, charmedtomeetyou, Embry, bstant, Ayana Starman, **and** cdfe88 **for your reviews.

I hope you enjoy the third chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not owned Charmed, just the OCs and the creative material of this story.

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**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 3: Of Demons and Family

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_Are you gonna live your life wonderin' standing in the back lookin' around?  
Are you gonna waste your time thinkin' how you've grown up or how you missed out?  
Things are never gonna be the way you want.  
Where's it gonna get you acting serious?  
Things are never gonna be quite what you want.  
Or even at 25, you gotta start sometime._

"_Praise Chorus" Jimmy Eat World

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_

Twenty minutes later, Chris wearily opened his eyes, blinking to clear the darkness on the edges of his vision and make out the two faces looking down on him. "Hey there," Piper smiled as Chris regained awareness. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Lena channeled my TK and hit me with the Grandfather clock?" Chris teased. "I told her I didn't mean to scare off her boyfriend…"

"Well at least it hasn't affected your sarcasm," Piper sighed, covering her worry with banter.

A moment later, Lena appeared in the living room, the Book of Shadows in her arms. "Chris, you're awake!" she squeaked, tossing the Book unceremoniously onto a side table and rushing to her cousin. "I couldn't find anything in the Book, are you all right?"

"Lena, you're going to suffocate him," Wyatt laughed. She turned a pout on him, and then brightened.

"Happy birthday, Wyatt!" she cried, leaping onto Wyatt to give him a hug. More coordinated than Chris, he caught her easily, and then when her hug had overstayed its welcome, orbed her into the kitchen. A few crashes and some cursing announced that Lena had not landed in an empty space.

"Wyatt…" Piper began in a dangerous tone.

Wyatt just shrugged, approaching his brother who had sat up on the couch. "You okay?" he asked.

"I think so. The darklighters came out of nowhere; I think they were cloaked; waiting for me. They hit me before I had a chance to do anything. Sorry to screw up your birthday."

"Well it would be too dull if there wasn't at least one vanquish," Wyatt said thoughtfully. "But weren't you supposed to be somewhere already?" he added.

"Oh shit, study group!" Chris groaned, jumping to his feet.

"But Chris, what if---" Piper began.

"If something goes wrong, I'll call for help!" Chris shouted back as he grabbed his bag and ran out the door.

Leo orbed in just as the door slammed behind his youngest son. "Good morning," he greeted. The Elder staff meeting had been quite early that morning, and he left before anyone else woke up. He saw the glance Wyatt and Piper had exchanged, along with the Book sitting out. "What happened?"

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As Wyatt finished his breakfast, the rest of the family chatted with each other. "So Wyatt, what's on the agenda for your birthday?" Paige asked, snagging a strawberry off the table and biting into it. 

"I don't know, I hadn't really thought about it. Lena promised me she had something special planned though," he added with a smile to his cousin who had been staring longingly at the coffee pot.

"Well maybe you two should hop to it, the rest of us have some things to prepare," Phoebe said slyly.

"All right, Lena, what're we going to do today?" Wyatt asked pointedly.

"It'll require you getting your present early," Lena announced. Wyatt told her that would be fine, and so Lena procured a box from thin air and handed it to her cousin as Piper walked in behind them. "Happy birthday!"

He ripped the ribbon off and pulled the box open, he smiled broadly as he surveyed the contents. "Check this out! How long did this take you?" he asked, as he pulled out stacks of paper and potion bottles.

"I've been working on it for weeks," Lena answered as Wyatt studied the papers.

"You even have physical descriptions, powers, and locations on these. This is awesome, thanks kiddo."

"Well it's been so long since we went on a real good vanquish just the two of us," Lena explained. "I thought it would be fun."

"Woah! No, no, no!" Piper protested as she realized what they were talking about. Leo appeared behind her.

"What?" he asked.

"What is wrong with this family!" Piper demanded. Wyatt and Lena shot her their most innocent smiles as Wyatt shut the box on the demon hunting material Lena had given him.

"What's going on?" Leo pressed, feeling firmly out of the loop for the second time that day.

"Our niece gave Wyatt a box full of demon profiles, potions, and vanquishing spells for his birthday," Piper explained still staring at the two young people.

"Sounds like fun," Alec said. Phoebe shot him a glare. "What? I would have loved that when I was their age."

"Lena you cannot just go demon hunting whenever you feel like it," Phoebe sighed as if she had said this a million times.

"Since when? Wyatt, Chris, and I have been going since—" she abruptly stopped, realizing she was about to say something that would get her into a lot of trouble.

"Excuse me? How long have you three been demon hunting?" Piper demanded.

"It's not like I put any upper-level demons in the box! It's just some lower-level scum. It's just for fun!" Lena shouted as she tried to change the topic back to her gift to Wyatt.

"That is so barbaric," Prue muttered, disgusted at her cousins.

"Shut up," Lena hissed.

"Prue, Lena, Piper, Phoebe, can we all just calm down, please?" Paige asked in a tone she often used with unruly students at Magic School. "We probably don't want to know how long they've been vanquishing for fun, and really it doesn't matter. What matters is, that they are not you, Piper," Paige said. "They like vanquishing demons, and for the record, they're damn good at it too. We can't keep doing this forever, and those three are going to take over for us eventually."

("Chris is gonna be pissed when he finds out he got dragged into this too,") Lena said to Wyatt using telepathy.

("I do like the present by the way. And as soon as this is over, we can sneak out and get to work,") Wyatt spoke back, using the mental link Lena had created.

("Trust me, I can't wait.")

Unaware of the mental conversation going on beside her, Paige continued her rant. "And for that they need to keep magically in shape, and foster good teamwork. I don't see any better way than going down there to take out some of our enemies."'

"Paige, I know you like their whole 'super witch' routine, seeing as it's a phase you went through too, but what they're doing is dangerous. I don't care if Lena only put the slug demon on that list or something, they are going in the Underworld looking for trouble, and eventually worse trouble is going to come looking for them," Piper argued. "Like today – we don't even know why Chris didn't heal right, but I can bet you that if he were here right now he would be just itching to go with those two troublemakers to kill some demons. They are not afraid of the consequences of their actions; that's what worries me."

"Why does everything in this house have to do with magic!" Nel demanded suddenly. Usually the meeker of the twins, her outburst had everyone startled. "I'm so sick of it! I don't even want to come here anymore! Every time it's about demons and darklighters and evil and somebody's new powers, it's so annoying! I can't stand it!"

"Well I'm sorry that you hate being a witch so much, but it's who you are, so deal with it!" Lena shouted, standing up.

"You're such a bitch, Lena! I hate you and Wyatt and Chris, all three of you!" Prue screamed, joining in the fight.

"Do not call your cousin that!" Paige chastised.

"I hate the three of you too! I hope you all get killed on your stupid demon hunts!" Nel added to Prue's statement.

That began all sorts of yelling, everyone screaming at each other except Lena who sat in the center clutching her temples.

"You apologize to your cousin!"

"You two need to get over yourselves!"

"I am so tired of listening to all of this!"

"Demon hunting is not cool!"

"Magic is your destiny!"

"It's Wyatt's birthday, can't we all just get along?"

"I want a normal life!"

The words swirled and made her head throb and threaten to explode. "Everybody SHUT UP!" Lena screamed leaping from her chair and extending her hands. A white glow shot off from her head and everyone in the room went quiet, standing completely still.

"Uhhh, what just happened?" Lena asked, no one responded or moved. "Hello? Anybody? Why's everyone all silent and everything?" She went up to Wyatt and put her hand on his arm. As soon as they made tactile contact Wyatt came back to himself, looking at Lena strangely.

"What happened?" he asked, staring at his frozen relatives.

"I don't know… I just yelled and then…" she waved her hand to indicate their statuesque relatives.

"Huh, must be a new power, cool. Do you think it was like a mind thing? Cause right before I just felt this jarring in my head like everything shut down."

"Weird. So… should I wake them up?"

"Nah, let's go demon hunting. It's my birthday, and I don't want to spend it here arguing. I'll leave them a note," he decided, going into one of the kitchen drawers and pulling out a pen and paper.

"_Dear Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncle, and annoying cousins,_

_Lena got a new power, cool right? I know you're excited Prue and Nel as you guys love this magic talk. Haha. Well, since she wasn't sure how to undo it we decided to take our cue and leave. _

_We're off to hunt some demons! Yeah! Before you get mad, remember it's my birthday and I'm 25, and a somewhat responsible adult. Anyway, we'll be in the underworld, so you won't be able to sense us… unless your name is Wyatt, hahaha. If we hear anything about the darklighters who attacked Chris we'll be sure to have responsible adult thought processes and make responsible adult decisions._

_Lastly, when Chris comes home, if we're not back, tell him to yell so he can join us. We will return shortly to enjoy the rest of my birthday – a day all about me, Wyatt._

_See you when the underworld is short a few baddies!_

_Love you all,_

_Wyatt and Lena"_

"You think they'll go back to normal once we leave?" Wyatt asked as he laid the note on the center of the kitchen table.

"Yeah, they should be – I think," Lena hesitated.

"Oh whatever, let's orb." Wyatt grabbed his cousin's arm, the two disappearing into a frenzy of white and blue lights.

As soon as the last orbs were swept away, everyone in the room regained themselves. "Woah, what just happened?" Phoebe asked, rubbing her throbbing temples.

"Where'd Lena and Wyatt go?" Alec questioned, staring around the kitchen.

"Look, a note," Piper pointed out, picking it up and reading it aloud. "What're we ever going to do with those two?" Piper sighed.

"I still don't see what the problem is," Alec piped in. "They're just having some mostly harmless fun."

"Prue, Nel, I think we need to talk," Paige said sternly, turning to her daughters. They rolled their eyes at her. "There was absolutely no excuse for what you said to Lena and Wyatt. I don't care how angry you are, you never ever say that you hope someone in this family dies, and you know why! We have lost too many people for you to say things like that out of spite! How would you feel if something happened to them?"

"Oh puh-lease mom, we're fourteen not two! Other people can say things like that all of the time and not get in trouble!" Prue protested.

"Well whether you like it or not, we're not 'other people'," Paige said.

"I cannot wait until I'm eighteen, I'm going to go away to college and never come back!" Prue hissed, stomping towards the doorway, Nel close behind.

"When they come back you are going to apologize!" Paige shouted after them.

"So, are we going to decorate for Wyatt's birthday party now?" Alec suggested.

* * *

"All right woman, where's the other list?" Wyatt asked as soon as he and Lena reformed not in the underworld, but in the Vault at Lena's home. Created of magic and filled with cloaking charms and protections, it had been used as the main magical room in the Kalos family for generations. It was also one of the few places they could go without risk of attack and without the chance of their family members sensing them. 

"Other list?" Lena responded innocently.

"I know you have one, you never would have put so much effort into these other demons," he answered.

"Okay fine," Lena sighed. "I just thought you might want to take it easy, this being your birthday and all," she added, pulling a sheaf of papers out of thin air and handing them to Wyatt who had snorted in response. "Someone's been working overtime to organize the Underworld. I would assume they're about to install a new Source. So, I took the liberty of researching our most possible candidates for supporters of the future Source, and the future Source. The last few we'll need Chris' help to get rid of."

"Nice work, see I love how you and Chris do all this research and then bring me in once you're done so I can blow stuff up," Wyatt laughed. He examined the documents, seeing the painstaking detail she took in her reports. "You're the best cousin, Lena," he added pulling her into a quick hug. "All right, let's get vanquishing. While we're at it I also want to check up on who might have ordered the darklighter attack."

He looked behind him to see Lena pulling off the pumps on her feet and trading them for a pair of cross-training sneakers from a small cabinet. "Yeah, I figured as much," she said, standing up. "First demon on our list is Frillian, which, I might add is a really dumb name, anyway, let's get him."

* * *

**A/N: Not very eventful, I know, but it had a lot of interaction. **

**So, what do you think? Love it? Like it? Bored stiff? Hate it? Let me know with a review!**

**Thanks for reading, now click that little review button!**

**'Till next time,**

**A.C.E.**


	4. A Deal With a Demon

**A/N:** I don't know if any of you have a problem with Lena being a main character in this fic, but she is. I'm trying to focus mostly on the new generation of Halliwells, and I just cannot see writing a Charmed fic without a strong female character. Charmed really was a show about empowered females when it began, and it seems rather wrong to place all the ass-kicking powers into the hands of the boys now. And yeah, Wyatt, Chris, and Lena are to be the new power of three, so they have to be around each other a lot and… yeah. Okay.

Thanks to **cdfe88, persephone25, Ayana Starman, heyyouwhatstherush, xXx MissHaunted xXx, charmedtomeetyou, pmsdevil01 **and **bstant **for your wonderful reviews! Thank you so much!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed.

Enjoy chapter four and please review!

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**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 4: A Deal With a Demon

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_Something wicked this way comes  
The best time I've ever had  
Waiting around for something bad  
Fearless, fearless, ohh  
And I know that's why you love me  
Fearless, fearless, come on_

"_Fearless" The Bravery_

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Three hours later, Chris walked into Halliwell Manor to find balloons and streamers hanging everywhere. Tossing his schoolbag in the parlor, Chris marched into the kitchen where his mother and Aunts were chatting as they worked on frosting a very large birthday cake for Wyatt.

"Hey sweetie," Piper greeted as he entered. "How was study group?"

"Matt forgot his notes, Ben showed up an hour late, and Jessica bought us all lattes, so really, it went better than usual," Chris shrugged. "Where's Wyatt?"

"Out with Lena," Piper responded.

"Out where?"

"Just out," Piper said stiffly.

"Was there an argument after I left?" Chris questioned, turning to Paige for answers.

"Yes," Paige admitted before anyone could deny it. "Lena gave Wyatt a box of vanquishing stuff and then everyone started yelling."

"Wait. What did she get him?" Chris asked, sounding suspiciously annoyed.

"Just lists of lower-level demons and how to vanquish them, fun vanquishes, she said," Phoebe explained, sounding a bit bitter.

"Oh good," Chris sighed. Everyone stared at him. "What! I put together some magic stuff for him for his birthday, and I just wanted to make sure she hadn't done the exact same thing."

"This family is insane," Piper growled.

"I can't help the fact that Wyatt has absolutely no interests, no social life, and no personality to speak of," Chris said resignedly. "I mean really, he decided to spend his birthday with his **family**," Chris snorted.

"It's nice to spend birthdays with family!" Paige protested.

"Not when you're twenty-five," he laughed. When the three women glared at him he realized his mistake, they had been spending all their free time together for much too long. "Okay, but where 'out' did they go? I doubt Wyatt's playing bingo at the senior center or something."

"Oh fine, they went vanquishing," Phoebe answered. "Wyatt said for you to yell for him when you were ready to join them."

"All right, I'll go change and then get in on the action," Chris smiled, pushing his longish hair out of his eyes.

"Don't you think you should be taking it easy, you know, after what happened this morning?" Piper suggested.

"You worry about me too much, mom. I'm fine," he said as he left the room.

"He's right you know, you have been overly protective of Chris," Paige pointed out, licking the extra chocolate frosting from a spatula.

"Yeah and you've spoiled him, both of you. Besides, the older he's gotten…"

"The more he looks like the other Chris," Phoebe sighed. "I miss him."

"But he just left," Paige said.

"I mean the other one. This Chris is different – good different – but sometimes I miss bossy neurotic Chris. On one hand I'm glad that when he was reborn into the baby he didn't retain any of the old memories, but then I'm also sad that he never got to realize that this life is so wonderful because of him." Phoebe pushed a hand through her hair as she spoke. "I mean, by now in the other timeline we were all dead already, and Wyatt was evil, and…"

"And this year will be Chris' twenty-third birthday, the day he died," Piper whispered, her muscles tightening.

"Honey, he's going to be fine this time around," Phoebe reassured, coming up behind Piper and putting her arms around her.

"I hope so," Piper's voice shook as she spoke.

"Come on now, it's Wyatt's birthday, and he's still lame enough to want to spend it with his family, let's celebrate that," Phoebe laughed, releasing Piper.

Chris appeared in the kitchen again, ignoring his mother and aunts emotional scene as he rummaged through the refrigerator for something to snack on. Finding the remnants of an apple pie hidden away, he sliced a piece and ate it at a disgusting pace.

"Why don't you let me make you a real lunch?" Piper offered her youngest as he nearly choked on too large of a bite of pie.

"No, that's okay, Lena and Wyatt must have been down there for hours, which means that if I still want to get in some vanquishing that I'm running out of time here," he grimaced. The females in the room smiled at the end of his sentence, remembering when someone else had uttered the same one.

Swallowing, he stood in place and then began to shout for Wyatt. The response met his mind, and Chris opened up, allowing Lena to tap into his powers and orb him down to meet them. In a flash of lights he disappeared.

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Running through the Underworld, a fire-breathing demon on the chase, Lena, Chris, and Wyatt agreed that it was high time to head home for dinner. Shooting off in opposite directions, Lena cast a haze of flame in their wake to confuse the demon, and then Chris grabbed her arm and the three disappeared.

When their orbs manifested within the Vault, Lena sighed and sat down. A smoking hole on the back of her shirt and tears in her jeans, she was relieved to be out of the Underworld. Wyatt smiled broadly, sitting down next to her. "Thanks for the present!" he cried, tossing his arms around her again.

"Ow ow ow!" she protested, cringing away from him. He extended his hands over her in almost nonchalance and healed her various injuries.

"I think we're going to need a little more information on that demon before we go after him again," Chris announced, pulling a hand through his shaggy brown hair to release the dust and dirt that had collected there.

"Yeah, but right now we have my party to get to!" Wyatt shouted. He tossed his hand over Chris and healed the small wounds he had gained as well. "All right everyone, let's get cleaned up and then meet back up at the Manor."

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An hour later the entire Halliwell family had gathered for Wyatt's birthday dinner at the Manor. Piper had prepared all of Wyatt's favorite dishes, lamb with mint jelly, twice-baked potatoes, green beans cooked with garlic and olive oil, and of course, chocolate and cherry cake for desert.

"Oh Aunt Piper, I never get tired of eating your food," Lena sighed, moaning as she took another bite of her meal.

"Who could?" Paige's husband, Mark questioned. Mark worked in social services, and had met Paige many years ago when Paige had discovered a magical child up for adoption. They now worked together to place any orphaned or unwanted witch in magical families. He had taken all of the magical stuff in stride, making everyone proud. However, at the first sight of demons he could be known to squeal like a young girl and hide under the nearest table – that is after he got past the need for a macho façade.

"Are you insinuating something about my cooking?" Paige asked with false hostility.

"Of course not," he replied, scandalized. "Not that I've ever tasted it, if you might recall, I happen to cook the dinners in our house."

"Oh yeah. Haha," Paige smiled, leaning in to kiss him.

"Remember when Chris spent that semester studying in London, how he'd orb in constantly to raid the fridge?" Wyatt reminded them, smiling broadly. "It got pretty weird with the time difference too."

"Well, you spend a semester eating shepherd's pie and the blandest meat ever, and we'll see how long you last," Chris jibed.

"Now Chris, you know I could never do that, if only because I could not part with my loving family for so long. You see, I am the chosen one after all, the specialist Halliwell ever born, and what would I be without mom and dad and Aunt Paige, and Aunt Phoebe, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, we get the point, momma's boy," Chris laughed.

"Hey!" Piper shouted good-naturedly.

"So Wyatt, when are you going to get a girlfriend?" Lena interrupted.

Wyatt winced as if wounded, his hand clutched to his chest. "Lena, that was so cruel! Whatever have I done to deserve such a comment from you?"

"Well, just today, there were flames coming off of my back, and you laughed," Lena pointed out. "That was my favorite blouse too, not to mention I had some sexy tan lines going."

"I healed your shirt! Even if I'm still not sure how that works… I mean really, I get the whole 'can only heal someone not evil and such, and you're only supposed to heal if it's a demonic caused injury' but where do clothes come into play here? I guess it's the Elder's fear of naked healed people running around, we certainly know that they're not exhibitionists, have you seen those robes, ick, so tacky," Wyatt rambled.

"Wyatt?" Chris said lightly.

"Yeah?"

"You're an idiot."

"You're just jealous because of my dizzying intellect and good looks," Wyatt sighed.

"And yet I've had more girlfriends in a year than you have in your entire life, go figure."

"It's that pained, brooding hero thing you do Chris, very sexy. If I weren't related…" Lena whistled softly.

"Okay, gross!" Phoebe protested, her cheeks just a little red as she remembered hitting on the other Chris as the Goddess of Love.

"Whhhaaattt? You telling me that if you _didn't know _he was related some _twenty years ago _you would never have checked him out?" Lena pressed, using the knowledge of the 'other Chris' which in her generation she solely possessed to goad her mother. The Charmed Ones had decided to not tell Chris and Wyatt about the other timeline and Chris' death, not wanting to burden them with the sins of another life. However when Lena became a telepath she found some questionable thoughts in her mother's mind, and it all came out eventually. Luckily she kept secrets much better than her mother did.

"Lena!" Phoebe warned.

"But really Wyatt, why no girlfriend? That bartender, Anna, that I work with at P3 – she checks out your ass every time you turn around, honey," Lena winked.

"And she also is smart," Wyatt added with annoyance.

"A major turn-off," Chris sarcastically agreed.

"Oh, don't I know it. Dumb dates are the absolute best," Phoebe piped in, tossing her arms around Alec who looked mildly offended.

"And she's blonde," Wyatt growled.

"Just like you, you'd look so color coordinated together," Paige squealed.

"And she's mortal."

"Well we're all gonna die sometime," Alec sighed.

"And Lena's a better bartender than her, which is saying something."

"Heaven forbid a woman not remember how to mix up a cosmo for Princess Wyatt," Chris laughed.

"Plus she has a thing for cops."

"Which would be awful, considering you_ are_ a cop," Mark pointed out with a smile. Everyone seemed to be joining in on the fun.

"And I'm insanely physically attracted to her."

"I think I just lost my appetite," Prue scowled.

"And these are all negatives because?" Lena pushed.

"Because they are." Wyatt paused, scouring his mind for a topic change. "So Chris, how's it going with Natasha and Claire? Have you decided between the two of them yet?"

"I'm not really that into either one of them, I cut them loose," Chris replied, leaning back in his chair and sipping Riesling from his wine glass.

"If only all of us could have your problems, Chris," Lena mused.

"Just because the only way you get boyfriends is through implanting thoughts, and affecting emotions," Phoebe pointed out, reminding Lena of some of her less than honorable uses of her magic.

"Yeah well the Elders certainly stuck it to me with the personal gain those times; made it so I couldn't control my stupid powers and had to miss out on the class trip to New York," Lena grumbled. "I mean really, I was only thirteen, how much restraint do they think a thirteen year old will adhere to when she can change other people's emotions and thoughts?"

"The Elder's have never really had a special place for you in their hearts, come to think of it," Alec acknowledged. "The things Wyatt and Chris have done with their magic with no consequences…" Even as he trailed off everyone in the room could recognize that he was not joking.

"Yeah, though I don't see how Lena proves much a threat. Wyatt on the other hand…" Chris laughed. Wyatt scowled, but everyone else in the room visibly stiffened. "What? Something I don't know about?" Chris asked. Silences after these types of comments were quite prevalent in the Halliwell Manor, and it annoyed Chris and Wyatt to no end to know that some huge secret was being kept from them.

"How about that cake?" Piper suggested.

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The three future Charmed Ones, Wyatt, Chris, and Lena all laughed as the youngest in their group slid onto the bar of P3 and onto the floor behind it. She filled up two pilsners with beer and one margarita glass with soda and a lime, and then allowed Wyatt to assist her as she climbed back over, her miniskirt restricting her movements.

"You could've just waited for the bartender," Chris pointed out as they walked back towards the VIP area reserved for them.

"Nah, she was busy," Lena shrugged, sinking onto the couch.

At midnight, the club had just begun to fill up, the music blasting in the background. After Wyatt opened his gifts and the parents and aunts went home, the brothers and cousin headed out to the club to continue the partying into the early morning hours.

"Hey Wy, don't look now, but Anna's on her way over here," Chris smiled.

"Why would she do that?" Wyatt questioned, going slightly pale.

"Because I told her to," Lena smirked.

"Hey Lena, you might want to take a look at those guys over to our right, they've been trying to get your attention for about ten minutes," Chris pointed out. Lena turned to see three guys dressed all in black watching her intently. The tallest of the trio smiled at her and took her returned smile as an opening, walking over towards her.

"Hey Lena, Chris, Wyatt," Anna smiled, pushing back a lock of blonde hair as she sat beside Wyatt.

"Hey…" Lena waved as her soon-to-be-date reached them.

"Hi there," he greeted, standing beside the couch. "I certainly hope that the similarities I've seen in you three is family resemblance," he added.

"And why would you hope that?" Lena questioned, leaning towards him.

"Because if not, that would make them my unfortunate competition," he explained in a smooth baritone voice. His dark eyes lit with humor as he spoke to her. "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure," she said standing and walking towards the dance floor.

"Well Wyatt, happy birthday, and I'll see you later," Chris informed his brother, spotting a group of girls he knew from college. Wyatt sent Chris a look that clearly said 'please don't go,' but Chris only ruffled his hair and walked away.

"So… how about them 'niners?"

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Prue and Nel sat side-by-side in an abandoned park. Darkness gathered around them, and a pale moon provided the only light. "He should be here soon," Prue said to reassure her sister.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Nel asked uncertainly.

"Of course I'm sure. He said he would take away our powers – you know, make it so that we're not witches or whitelighters, just normal girls."

"But mom and the aunts, or even our cousins could do that!" Nel protested.

"You know they won't. 'Your powers are for your own protection,' they'd say," Prue mocked. "Especially the cousins, could you imagine asking Wyatt to strip our powers?" she laughed. "Besides, even without active powers, we'd still be able to cast spells, so demons would still come after us. Dakian said he could make it so that demons would just think we were mortal."

"Yeah well, I'm worried about what he'll want in exchange," Nel said warily, pushing a hand through her red hair in agitation. "What if he wants the Book, or something that could hurt our family?"

"He said he wouldn't hurt them."

"He's a demon."

"So?"

"Or… or what if he strips our powers and then kills us, just to hurt Mom or get notoriety in the Underworld or something?"

"Look, we haven't made the deal yet anyway. Let's just see what happens," Prue suggested. A moment later, the air rippled as Dakian flamed in before them. Tall and broad, Dakian's appearance seemed mostly human, and he had a black symbol tattooed across the right side of his face.

"Prudence, Penelope," he greeted, sweeping towards them in his black cloaks.

"Dakian," Prue nodded. "Have you considered what kind of a deal you would like to make?"

"Straight to business I see. I appreciate that in a partner. I have compiled a list of things you need to bring me or do in exchange for the stripping of your witchlighter status." He proffered a worn piece of parchment and handed it to Prudence. Nel leaned over her shoulder to read it as well, and balked at what she saw.

"A book from Magic School? A lock of Chris' hair? Put some weird crystal thing in the Manor? Sprinkle dust over Lena? Why would you want that?" Nel demanded fiercely.

"Nothing too important," he shrugged.

"None of this will be hard to do," Prue said excitedly.

"Prue! He might be after our family!"

"Like they care about us anyway?" Prue countered. "Did you see the way mom looked at us this morning after the darklighter attack? As if we should've been there in the thick of it with them instead of staying safely away. If we keep our powers, we're going to end up dead, and you know it. This stuff is all harmless, Nel. Let's do this, let's become normal, please!"

"You do not have to decide right away. Meet me here on Thursday at midnight and if you have decided you would like your powers stripped, bring me the items on the list." He pulled a crystal from his pocket and handed it to Prue. "And hide this in the Manor." Then he shoved a small velvet bag into the girl's hand. "Sprinkle this over your cousin while she's sleeping. If you decide not to accept the deal, come anyway to return my crystal and dust and tell me so."

Even as he said it he read the clear joyful anticipation in Prue's eyes and knew that when he saw her again she would have completed the tasks.

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**A/N: AGH! Prue and Nel! Your mom would be so disappointed!**

**Okay everybody, let me know what you think with a review!**

**Thanks!**

**A.C.E.**


	5. Step One

**A/N: **Here's another chapter. In the chapters following this one I'll go into greater detail about the OCs – Alec, and Mark, Prue and Nel, Lena, etc, so you know their background better, but for now I just want to keep this storyline going.

**xXx Miss Haunted xXx, pmsdevil01, persephone25, bstant, Ayana Starman, Aeris, **and** charmedtomeetyou **thank you for your reviews!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything except the plot and OCs.

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**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 5: Step One

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_All I feel is hollow and bruised  
Used up and misused  
Forced to be someone I don't want to be_

"_Darkest Days" Stabbing Westward_

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On Monday, Prue closed the door to a bathroom stall behind her, and took a deep breath. She had been in lunch, so no one would miss her if she disappeared for a little while. She knew Piper was at her restaurant, Four Sisters, Leo would be teaching at Magic School, Wyatt was at the station house working, and Chris had class, so the Manor should be empty. Concentrating, she disappeared in a burst of orb lights, reappearing in the attic of the Halliwell Manor. Breathing a sigh of relief, she did not realize that the attic was otherwise occupied.

"Ahem," Lena said, miming clearing her throat to get her cousin's attention. "What are you up to?"

"Lena! Oh… um… I was just… um… is Chris here?" Prue stuttered, her palms sweaty as she worried about Lena discovering she had come to the Manor to drop off Dakian's crystal.

"No, he has class," she responded. She stood at the Podium flicking through the Book of Shadows while watching Prue intently. "What exactly could you need Chris for in the middle of a school day?"

"I just wanted to talk to him about something," Prue mumbled. She hoped Lena would accept that answer and get back to whatever she was doing, after all, the only one of the Trouble-making Three (Wyatt, Chris, Lena) she could stand was Chris. He had an easygoing nature about him that made it hard to hate the witchlighter with the same fervency she hated Lena and Wyatt.

"What did you want to talk to him about?" she pushed, her voice soft and conversational. Prue grimaced, Lena would never intentionally read her thoughts – she hoped – but if she did not keep her mind scrambled she might pick up on something by accident. She also silently thanked whoever came up with the idea of an empathy blocking potion.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Prue snapped. "Last time I checked you didn't live here."

"Well I don't have class today so I came to do some research on whoever might be organizing the Underworld," she said simply, stepping away from the podium. She wore tight-fitting dark jeans and a simple baby tee as she approached her obviously flustered younger cousin.

"So you just come here whenever you feel like it?" she asked icily.

Lena's brows furrowed as she studied Prue's annoyed expression. Something was obviously bothering her. "I have a key for a reason," she answered, trying to keep the edge out of her tone. "And if you had come here by normal means you would have seen my car in the driveway," she added. "Prue, what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Prue denied a little too harshly.

"Are you in some sort of magic trouble? Because I would more than happy to—"

"Not everything is about magic, Lena!"

"I know that, Prue! But you're in the attic of the Manor, why else would you have orbed in here unannounced? It's not like you live here either!"

"Well I'll be sure to clear it with you next time then," she growled, her freckled face screwed up in annoyance.

"Okay, just chill out, I'm sorry… though I'm not sure what I'm sorry for," she muttered the last part under her breath. "Just… you can tell me what's wrong, I won't judge you or anything. We're family after all."

Prue cast a suspicious glance at Lena, and saw nothing except sincerity. Then another thought dawned within her, another part of Dakian's list that she could complete if she played this out right. "All right, it's… about a boy…" Prue said, glad that her cheeks flushed from lying at the same instant as a sentence that could be considered embarrassing.

"Then you have come to the right Halliwell," Lena responded with an encouraging smile.

"Can we go downstairs to discuss this?" Prue asked, feeling a certain perverse excitement as she played nice to fool her cousin into letting her guard down.

"Sure," Lena responded, walking towards the stairs. Prue let her go a few paces ahead before she pictured a certain marked potion vial in her mind. Orb lights glowed from behind a cabinet in the far corner, and the vial appeared in Prue's hand; the vial of sleeping draught. She mentally promised herself that next time she snuck into the manor she would orb to the basement and check from the windows for any cars.

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Prue fashioned a story of lies out of almost truths, telling Lena about her friend Tim, and how she wanted to ask him out. She made them both tea, carrying it into the conservatory to chat, and watched as Lena seemed privately excited that she and her cousin were suddenly getting along. Prue felt slightly guilty to see that happiness on her face, but did what she had to do; pouring the sleeping potion into Lena's tea cup.

After twenty minutes Prue could see Lena's eyelids drooping, and she had begun to yawn frequently. "Well, thanks for listening to me, but I think I should get back to school before lunch ends," Prue said.

"Oh right. If you're worried about being late and getting in trouble I could forge you a note and drop you off," Lena offered.

"No, I'll just orb back into the bathroom."

"Be careful – exposure you know," Lena said, her body feeling suddenly heavy.

"Yeah I will," Prue said, watching as Lena's head bowed forward slightly and her eyes closed.

She orbed out, reappearing in Chris' bedroom. Rifling through his dresser, she came across his comb. Plucking a few hairs off of it she tossed them in a plastic bag.

Then, mostly sure Lena had conked out in the sun room; she orbed into the living room and set the crystal on a side table behind a plant.

She then returned to the conservatory to pick up the tea cups, dumping the remains of the tea in the sink to hide the evidence. She saw that Lena's chin was resting on her chest quite uncomfortably and unnaturally. So Prue sighed and carefully laid her cousin on her side on the couch. She undid the tie on the bag of dust and sprinkled a copious amount of the glowing green powder over her sleeping cousin. It turned to a burnished red as it made contact with her body, and then disappeared altogether.

Satisfied, Prue orbed back to school, acutely aware of the irony that to lose her powers she was using them more than ever.

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"Lena?" Chris called as he entered the house. His cousin's brand new cherry red Mustang convertible had been in the driveway when he returned from class, not exactly unusual, but worthy of some explanation. "Lena!" he shouted again, dropping his bag in the hall closet and peeking into the conservatory to find Lena passed out on the wicker couch.

He shook her awake; watching as she groggily opened her eyes and sat up. "I fell asleep?" she muttered, putting a hand to her head that was aching terribly.

"I guess so. How long have you been here?" he asked reaching out to steady her.

Her weary eyes darted to the clock across the room. "Oh my God, it's four already? But I got here at eleven…"

"Five hours? What were you doing?" Chris questioned, sitting on the couch beside her.

"I don't know…" she began, looking around. Her head felt heavy and her mind muddled. "I was in the attic with the Book, and then I had some tea out here. That must've been when I fell asleep."

"Lena, there's no teacup," Chris pointed out, staring around.

"That's weird… I don't remember Prue taking them when she left."

"Prue was here?"

"Yeah, she was having boy problems," Lena sighed, rubbing at her eyes and being rewarded for her efforts by her make-up coming off on her hands.

"Are you sure a demon didn't attack?" Chris pressed. Lena seemed so disoriented, more so than if she had just taken a short nap.

"I don't recall a demon attack, and look around this place; you can't tell me there wouldn't have been a struggle. I was researching in the attic, Prue showed up, and she and I had tea. She must've brought the cups into the kitchen after I nodded off."

"All right kiddo, I think it's safe to assume that you've been spending way too time researching demons if you fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon. You're not sick are you?" he asked after a moment.

"No, I don't think so."

"Could it have been from one of the demons we fought on Saturday? Or did you have something weird to drink at the Club?"

"No, I'm fine. I should get home, maybe watch TV or do something other than think about demons."

"Okay, are you sure you're okay to drive?" Chris asked. She looked a little out of it at the moment.

"Of course I am." She stumbled briefly as she went to stand.

"Well I don't think so," he sighed, waving his hand. She disappeared in a flurry of orbs before she could protest his action.

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Lena appeared in the entryway of her house, Phoebe standing just beside her at the coat closet. "Yeah, would you mind orbing my car and purse back too!" Lena shouted into the air.

"Hi honey," Phoebe greeted.

"Hi mom," Lena sighed as her purse appeared in a burst of orbs on the floor beside her. _("Your car I'll drive over,") _Chris' voice said in her mind through the telepathic link they always kept open.

"Something wrong?" Phoebe asked, steering her into the kitchen.

"I just feel kind of out of it," Lena sighed, sitting down at the table, Phoebe taking the seat nearest to her.

"Anything happen?"

"I was over at the Manor and I fell asleep. Chris woke me up when he came in, and deemed me not well enough to drive," she snorted.

"Are you sick, honey?" she asked, putting a hand to Lena's forehead.

"No, I don't think I'm sick… It feels more like I accidentally drank some sleeping potion or something."

"Sleeping potion? Do you think someone slipped you some?" Phoebe questioned with concern.

"No. I've probably just been overstretching myself. Between Wyatt's birthday this weekend, and then writing that paper, and the demons…" She sounded flippant, but really she was worried. Prue had seemed much too overeager to prepare the tea for them, and it had tasted a little funny. She would have to keep a close eye on her little cousin from now on, and avoid eating anything she touched.

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"Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris!" Wyatt's voice shouted incessantly as he bounced about the Halliwell Manor. He popped his head into the rooms on the first floor, calling his brother's name, and continued to chant it as he ran up the stairs.

"Chris! Oh Chrissy, Chris, Chris, Chris!" Wyatt continued as he pushed open the door to his brother's bedroom and found Chris looking awfully cross on the other side of it, arms crossed.

"What is it?" Chris asked with a scowl he reserved specifically for Wyatt.

"I have a date for Friday night!" he announced cheerfully, nearly jumping for joy.

"Wyatt, I keep trying to tell you – even if you pay for her, eating dinner at a restaurant with Lena is not a date."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. It's with Anna, moron," Wyatt responded happily.

"Oh, you mean that girl you didn't want to date?" Chris asked innocently.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But at the club we really hit it off. And she wants to go out on Friday!"

"That's great, Wyatt," Chris said genuinely. "It's about time you got a girl."

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In his cave in the Underworld, Dakian watched a silver screen on the wall. It had steadily shown the image of the inside of a pocket for a while now, and he could hear muffled voices speaking. A little while ago, when the crystal had been placed in its hiding place, Dakian altered the crystal's resonance. The screen lit upon the image of the inside of the Halliwell Manor, the crystal's magic eye seeing through the items Prue had hidden it behind.

No one appeared in the room, but he soon heard a voice call out "Lena!" and then his target, Chris Halliwell walked right past the crystal and out into the sunroom. He watched for a while longer, ears perked for anything of use to him, but not giving it his undivided attention.

_"So, where are you two going on Friday anyway?"_ Chris' voice echoed through the cavern from the screen, and Dakian watched it closely as the witchlighter descended the stairs, the twice-blessed at his side.

_"Café Le Blue. It's supposed to be real classy. What are you doing on Friday night?"_

_"Oh, you know, studying, demon hunting, same old, same old."_

Dakian smiled, his lips curling up devilishly as he listened to the exchange. Chris would be without his great protector on Friday. Now he knew when to implement the next part of his plan.

It would only be a matter of time now.

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**A/N: **All the action begins in chapter 6, so give me some reviews and I'll make the update quick.

Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think.

Later,

A.C.E.


	6. Captured

**A/N: **The actions starts in this chapter, so, enjoy! And please review!

Thank you to **persephone25, pmsdevil01, charmedtomeetyou, and bstant** for your reviews. Keep 'em coming!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Charmed. If I did, well, let's just say things would have been different...

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**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 6: Captured

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_I can feel it surround me  
It's breaking the skin  
I'm letting it in now I can feel  
it surrounds me  
it's all that I see  
"Reflection" Trust Company_

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"You have the book, right?" Prue asked her twin sister as they appeared in a burst of orb lights in the park Dakian had chosen as the meeting place.

"For the tenth time, yes," Nel responded with annoyance as she procured the infinitely old hard-covered tome – the Book of Souls. "I still can't believe I stole this from Magic School," she groaned.

"Oh shut up. We did what he wanted, and he'll be here soon to remove our powers."

"Do you have what I asked for?" Dakian's voice asked as he flamed in behind the girls. They jumped in surprise, and then turned to face him. Prue dragged the book from Nel's uncertain hands and gave it to Dakian, followed by the sample of Chris' hair and the empty bag that once held the powder she had poured on Lena.

"Now how about your end of the deal?" Prue demanded forcefully.

Dakian procured two potion bottles and handed them to the girls. "How do we know this will really work?" Prue asked. Dakian only laughed. Defiantly, Prue tipped the potion back, swallowing its bitter substance. She felt a small glimmer of something fade from within her, but she knew the rest of the magic remained. "It didn't work," she said tonelessly.

"It's only the first treatment. Removing your magic will take time, my dear."

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After leaving the twin witchlighters in the park, Dakian walked into his lair in the Underworld. One large room lay devoted to various dark magic devices, the screen for the crystals, a basin that allowed him to track prey, a long table where his targets all eventually ended up, and other implements.

He tossed the pieces of Chris' hair into the basin, and then cut himself, oozing dark blood on top of it to activate the magical properties within. A moment later he felt Chris' presence in the back of his mind, almost in the same way a whitelighter feels for their charges. He smiled with this victory. He placed the book carefully on a dusty shelf, and then turned back to the screen, intent on waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

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Wyatt knocked lightly on a large oak door; a shiny metal tag affixed to it reading "Paige Matthews, Headmistress."

When Paige reopened Magic School she changed it from a year-round boarding school to a part-time supplement to normal school for young witches; feeling that only associating with magical peers failed to prepare students for life in "the real world." So, she followed the structure outlined by community centers for ethnic classes, and scheduled Magic School twice a month on Saturdays, arranged by region of the world. Magic School, being open to witches from across the globe ended up being constantly busy nonetheless. Tuition based on family wealth kept the school running and teachers paid, and yearly donations from the Kalos Foundation kept the school afloat. She did however have a day care and full-day elementary school for students too young to know not to use their powers in front of their mortal peers.

"Come in!" Paige called from the other side of the door, smiling broadly when Wyatt entered. "You're all dressed up," she said, noting the khakis and black button-up shirt.

"I've got a hot date tonight," he explained with a boyish grin, sitting down in a comfortable armchair across from her formidable desk.

"Ooh, must be nice," Paige smiled. "I have to sit here making sure the kids from New York get here alright. Not to mention there's a telekinesis workshop tomorrow which is always trouble."

"Yep, someone always ends up hanging from the lighting fixtures, and the furniture is completely destroyed," Wyatt said as he fondly remembered some of his younger trouble-making days.

"Thank God I don't have to deal with you in those things anymore," Paige sighed, genuinely relieved. "And don't even get me started on conjuring…" she groaned.

"I swear, I did not mean to conjure those dinosaurs…" Paige shot him a glare. "And Tommy Bates deserved to have a pumpkin conjured around his head. The kid was a menace, and he had been bullying Chris."

"As I recall, he never came back to Magic School," Paige added thoughtfully. "But anyway, what did you need?"

"I was just wondering if you could keep a feeler out for Chris and Lena tonight," Wyatt requested sheepishly.

"Why?" Paige questioned, raising one eyebrow at her oldest nephew.

"Well we were demon hunting last week, and you know, it being Friday night and all they're probably going to go out again, so…"

"I just love how you three think 'going out' on a Friday night means Underworld bars," Paige smiled slyly. She had caught them coming back from some demon escapades a few years ago unbeknownst to their parents. From then on, she promised to keep their demon-fighting secrets if they would always keep her in the loop. "So you're worried they're going to get themselves into trouble without you there?"

"I know it sounds arrogant, but you know… I just don't want to be interrupted unless absolutely necessary tonight. Anna doesn't know about the whole magic deal and if I run out on dinner she'll probably think I've lost interest or something. But I also don't like the thought of Chris and Lena being left hanging if they get caught or something."

"I gotcha Wyatt, and in the memory of all of the dates I had to leave early I will sense for them tonight. But you know, if they go to the Underworld I'll lose sight of them."

"Yeah… I'm going to try and convince Chris that staying on Earth can be fun," Wyatt laughed.

"You know, the way you talk about them, one would think that you were not the instigator of the demon hunting, and that you were not the one who got them into it in the first place," Paige pointed out.

"I know I've been a terrible influence, but it's too late to change," Wyatt said, a hand over his heart and his eyes staring at the floor in false melancholy.

"Well as long as you confess your sins and do penance, you should be fine," Paige said stoically. "All right Wy, I've got to get back to work. Have fun on your date, and I'll let you know if anything bad happens, but only if it is bad enough to warrant your expertise."

"Thanks Aunt Paige, you're the best!" Wyatt cried, hugging his aunt briefly before disappearing in a swirl of orbs. Paige just laughed and then turned back to the arrangements she had been previously working on.

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Lena screamed; a piercing wail that filled the entire Underworld as she fell to the ground, crushed beneath her attackers; winded and completely unable to fight back. Across the empty expanse of dirt and darkness Chris fought valiantly against the two demons that he just could not vanquish. He tried to glance in his cousin's direction, but all he saw were the two brute demons on top of her, her legs lying unmoving in his line of vision. Distracted by her prone form, the demons knocked him over, and he collapsed on the ground, just in time to see the brute demons stand and reveal his cousin's still – too still form, blood clinging to the dirt around her, and discoloring her face. The brutes laughed, slapping each other a high-five and giving their companions a thumbs-up.

Chris TK'ed an athame in their direction, and was rewarded by the demon closest to him stomping on his arm hard enough to snap the bone. He clenched his teeth against the cry that rose up, and waved his other arm in a vain attempt to orb her back to the Manor. A snapping sound signaled that the demons had seen fit to break that arm as well.

Their night had begun quite uneventfully in a demonic bar. They drank, they schmoozed, they vanquished. Then, the information they needed having been collected, they left the bar, returned to the Vault to change out of their demon disguises, and then returned to the Underworld to search for their prey.

Unfortunately, their target found them first, and he brought his friends. Chris and Lena put up a decent fight at first, but the demons seemed to anticipate everything they would do, and soon had them crawling and collapsing, unable to flee. Chris kept his mind open, hoping Lena would channel his orbing power, but she somehow had been unable to channel at all.

And now it seemed they would lose completely.

One of the brute demons grabbed Lena roughly by her right arm and began to drag her lifeless body to locations unknown. Chris wanted to scream out, to tell them to stop and leave her alone, to prevent them from hurting her, killing her. But he could not. A sharp blow to his abdomen cracked his ribs and had him choking on his own blood, coughing and struggling for air. As a large club came down on his skull, and before everything descended into darkness, Chris' last thought was that he was sorry to ruin Wyatt's date.

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At Café Le Blue, Wyatt had been charming his way through his date with Anna. Though unable to share stories about the magic that dominated his life, he still managed to hold up his end of a decent conversation. He had a good feeling about the date and the girl, sure that they could make it work for at least a while. She had been regaling him with a tale about her the class she was taking in Law School when a pain exploded from within Wyatt.

Holding his head in his hands and ignoring Anna's worried questions, Wyatt struggled to catch his breath. Chris must be in trouble. Even when he was in the Underworld, Wyatt could always sense his brother. And right now Chris was hurt, perhaps dying. Muttering insufficient apologies, Wyatt excused himself from the table and all but ran to his car.

He drove quickly, abandoning the speed limit as his heart beat a mile a minute. If he had been thinking he would have orbed out as soon as he left the restaurant, but in times of emotional crisis Wyatt often seemed to forget that he had any powers. While Chris would have been blowing things up and orbing around by now, Wyatt just clutched the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Fear paralyzed the witch in Wyatt, it always had. Luckily not much scared him. His brother dying however… that made the list.

He avoided many near-misses with other vehicles and pulled into the driveway of 1329 Prescott Street in one piece. Sensing futilely for his brother he became even more worried. Chris was blocked. Which either meant he had been knocked unconscious, was in an underworld blind-spot, had been captured, or was dead. Wyatt sincerely hoped it was anything besides the latter.

He flung the front door open and realized as soon as he ran into the parlor that he had no clue what being at home could possibly do for him. He was panicking and he could feel it, yet he could not seem to stop himself. This was why they always worked in groups, Chris always had the stable head and could calm Wyatt down, keep everything in perspective. Without his little brother he would probably be an unstable basket-case.

"Wyatt?" Piper's voice called curiously. She and Leo had just reached the sipping wine and watching the fire crackle in the hearth part of their night alone when they heard and in Leo's case, sensed, Wyatt enter the house in fear. The look on her son's color-drained face sent a cold shiver down Piper's back. "Wyatt, what's wrong?" she asked, forcing herself to remain calm.

"I… Chris… I…" Wyatt stumbled over his words, his tongue feeling odd as he tried to form the sentence in his mind. "Something'shappenedtoChris!" he finally blurted out all at once.

Leo followed Wyatt's train of thought enough to know they needed to act fast. "Let's go to the underworld and sense for him," he suggested. "Piper, try summoning spells, tell us if you find him," he added. He took Wyatt's arm before either could speak and disappeared in a flash.

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Dakian watched as his 'employees' laid Chris down on the stone table of the lair. Both of his arms were bent in the wrong places, showing that the demons had been a little more forceful then he had requested, but it was of no bother. He activated the metal restraints on the table, just in case Chris woke up at some point.

In the adjacent room, the brute demons had dragged th e younger witch, Lena, and locked her into a long, narrow steel cage that would prevent her from moving while she underwent a little procedure. A dark priestess nodded curtly to them as she opened her Grimoir in preparation.

Dakian checked Chris over, assuring himself that none of the injuries were life-threatening. Satisfied, he pulled a potion off of the wall and stuck a make-shift needle and plunger into it. He injected the potion into Chris' veins and watched as the dark liquid coursed through him just beneath the skin; a potion that took on a life of its own.

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Wyatt emerged from the demonic bar, Leo waiting for him just outside the door. He looked up at his son expectantly but Wyatt just shook his head, pulling off the dark wig he wore in his demon identity. "They left about an hour ago to go after the Lyrus demon. They haven't been back since." Leo frowned for a moment, trying to push aside the fact that Wyatt, Chris, and Lena were so well-known in a demon bar that the demons could recognize them and must on some level consider them friends. It reminded him an awful lot of the other Chris' demonic contacts.

"Well we can try and follow their trail…" Leo suggested, wishing he had a better option. If something happened to Chris… But once again Leo forced himself to think about the situation as if it involved one of his charges, and not his son. He needed to remain calm.

"No, their trail's long gone by now. Someone did this, Dad. Someone's hurt them and taken them somewhere we can't sense. I can't believe this! I just feel so goddamm useless!" he cried, balling his hands into fists.

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The dark priestess stared at her captive. Lena lay flat on her back on the stone floor of the altar, a metal cage affixed over her body. Shanqil just shook her head at the poor girl's fate and returned to her Grimoir. Dakian had been her acquaintance in the Underworld for a century. He was ambitious but never seemed to be chosen by the Source for the greatness he rightly deserved. That was all about to change however. His plan, which Shanqil had helped with, was almost flawless, and already the pieces had fallen into place. Capturing two of the three progeny of the Charmed Ones was quite a feat, and yet Dakian had it done as if no effort were required.

The spell she had to perform on the youngest of the witches could prove troublesome. Her senses had been previously dulled; courtesy of her cousin; but now the true test would be if her body accepted the foreign magic.

She began to stir slightly, her body butting up against the sarcophagus-shaped cage. Shanqil checked the spell preparations – black candles forming a pentagram around the witch, frankincense burning and casting a haze in the air, and then of course the potion bottles filled with dark energy set at each point of the star.

As Lena's sea-green eyes blinked open, Shanqil began a chant straight from the Grimoir in an ancient and dark language. Her words flowed like poison over velvet and a cloud of darkness gathered at each candle.

As Lena gained awareness she realized bleakly that something was desperately wrong. She immediately began to claw at the cage that held her in place, panicking. She had been claustrophobic since an unfortunate incident with a demon in her girlhood, and never quite got over the fear of being locked in small places by evil beings. She heard a smashing sound as one of the potions bottle cracked, shooting a dark liquid into the air above her and hanging there. She fought desperately now, her fingernails breaking as she pulled at the almost-chicken wire composition of the cage. She could feel blood running down her face from before, but pushed away any residual pain as she bucked and kicked.

Two more potion bottles smashed and she now heard the dark priestess' voice growing louder as the storm cloud above her grew.

"WYATT!" she screamed in fear. "WYATT, HELP ME!" The fourth potion bottle blew up and now a large black mass hung just inches from her. "No, let me out!" she screeched, a terrible feeling of foreboding and impending doom gathering within her. "CHRIS! LEO! PAIGE! WYATT! WYATT!"

She heard the glass shatter in the last of the potion bottles, and helpless tears streamed down her face. "WYATT, WYATT, WYATT!" she screamed futilely, searching the air around her for the tell-tale orbs of her protector. Wyatt had always been there when she needed him, and now she really, really needed him.

But she was alone.

The air just above her face thrummed and stirred as the large dark power hanging suddenly shot down on her. She screamed as it entered her through every pore, zinging and jangling throughout her body. She screeched as she felt it clashing with her innate power, bursting forth and conquering her.

Suddenly she could not breathe. She was suffocating from it, tears obscuring her dulling vision. She heard a dull roar in her ears and nothing else as she gasped for air, her efforts unrewarded.

Her vision spun and danced, the room around her spinning and slipping back and forth from dark to light. Her defeated lungs felt as if they were deflating from lack of air, and not long after she fell unconscious.

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Working on her latest column in the parlor of her husband's ancestral home, Phoebe had been unaware of the crisis concerning her daughter and her nephew. However that all changed when she felt a burning pain erupt throughout her. The bond between an empathic mother and her empathic daughter was stronger than most thought, and now she could feel the agony her daughter lay in. Screaming out for her, Phoebe fought to bury the pain so she could focus on finding her.

"LEO!" she shouted, sliding off of her chair and doubling over as her daughter's suffering raked through her body. "PAIGE!"

Orbs swirled to her side, and Paige bent over her sister in panic. "Phoebe, what happened?" she asked, extending her hands over her to heal. Phoebe swatted them away, gaining control of the pain.

"Lena's hurt – badly. We have to get to her."

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"Did you hear that?" Wyatt asked quietly. Leo only stared at him, waiting for Wyatt to impart what had happened. "I sensed Lena, but only for an instant." His expression was grim. "I… I think… she's dying."

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Oblivious to his cousin's desperate screams for help, Chris' eyes twitched back and forth beneath the lids as the potion that had been injected into him began to flit through his veins. His hands balled into fists as it raced through him, horrible and dark, the potion weakened him completely, he could even feel his magic bowing under its pressure.

And though he was somewhat aware of what was happening to him, he could not force himself to awaken. Still he fought against it, his wrists rubbed raw against the restraints, and his broken ribs digging into his lungs with more fervency than before.

Dakian watched with interest as Chris' struggles suddenly ceased, and he lay limply against the stone table.

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**A/N: I would love to know what you thought.**

**Signing off,**

**Ada C. Eliana**


	7. More Questions than Answers

**A/N: I'm back after a small absence, and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Thank you to my reviewers, it's great to read those words of encouragement, keep 'em coming! Thanks again, and enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed.**

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 7: More Questions than Answers

* * *

_Inside my skin there is this space  
It twists and turns  
It bleeds and aches  
Inside my heart there's an empty room  
It's waiting for lightning  
It's waiting for you  
And I am wanting  
And I am needing you here  
Inside the absence of fear_

"_Absence of Fear" - Jewel

* * *

_

Hearing Lena's screams dwindle to plaintive cries and then silence, he left Chris and walked into the altar room. "How did it go?" he asked the priestess Shanqil, motioning to the witch. He studied her for a moment; her eyes stuck open blankly and her fingers loosely gripping the metal mesh above her head.

"Perfectly. Her body accepted the shadow. She will become quite ill for a while though," she responded, her blood-red lips curving into a smile.

"Wonderful. They will all be so preoccupied by her that they will completely miss the signs of what will be happening to Chris. It will be a perfect cover."

* * *

Done with the first Halliwell, Dakian had his demons remove him from the Chamber to toss him somewhere in the Underworld where he would be found. The demons shimmered away immediately after they dumped Chris' body right where they had attacked him originally.

* * *

"Chris!" Wyatt cried, suddenly sensing his brother and promptly orbing away. He and Leo appeared just behind the young witchlighter who was lying on his side, crumpled outside of a dusty cave.

"Chris," Wyatt whispered, kneeling down and checking his brother's pulse. He let out a breath he did not know he had been holding when he felt the steady, albeit slow beat underneath his fingers.

"Let's get him home," Leo suggested, looking nervously over his shoulder for any demons planning an ambush before orbing himself and his sons back to the Manor.

* * *

As Wyatt healed the large wound on Chris' head, Leo examined his other injuries carefully. Piper had left the room the moment she saw his obviously broken arms, vases and glass ornaments exploding in her wake as her rage built. What bothered Leo the most were the scrapes on his wrists, almost as if he had been fighting against restraints.

"Why is it so slow?" Wyatt asked with frustration, the healing not occurring as quickly as usual. It almost felt as if something within Chris were fighting the power.

"It happens sometimes," Leo responded, just happy to see Chris breathing at this point. He carefully set his arms, and then began to heal his son as well. They worked in silence, both holding their breath for the moment when they would know the healing had worked.

Chris suddenly gasped and leaned forward on the couch. His eyes scanned the room rapidly, taking in the concerned visages of his father and brother. Sitting upright quickly, Chris tried to sense for his cousin and felt a block. "Lena! Where's Lena!" he demanded of the two beside him.

Wyatt's face fell, in the moment of crisis he had completely forgotten about his cousin, and the last time he sensed her…

"We don't know," Leo answered carefully. He could sense Phoebe in the attic using summoning spells, and knew that Paige had gone to the Underworld to search for her. "But maybe if you tell us what happened?"

Piper reentered the room, handing Chris a cup of tea and sitting beside him on the couch, her eyes never leaving him. He pulled in a heavy breath and then tried to rearrange his scattered thoughts. "We went searching for the Lyrus demon, but he found us first, and he had friends. Two brute demons attacked Lena, and two others went for me. Somehow they seemed to predict everything we were going to do, and the fight just went badly. Something had gone wrong with Lena's powers; she couldn't channel. And I couldn't get close enough to her to orb us out. The brutes knocked her out or something, I saw them dragging her off before the others knocked me out," Chris explained in a calm and cool manner he only used when he was upset.

"Do you remember anything after that?" Leo pushed.

"Waking up here," Chris shrugged.

"Your wrists were all scraped up, Chris. It looked like you might have been… restrained. Are you sure you don't remember anything about that?"

Chris' eyes widened at his father's words, and then shook his head. "If I was, then I must have been unconscious the whole time. But that doesn't matter, what does matter is finding Lena." He turned to his brother. "Let's go back to the Underworld and try sensing for her."

"Chris I—" Wyatt began, but as he spoke his brother disappeared into a flurry of orbs, Leo and Piper reaching out to stop him a moment too late.

* * *

Lena did not know how long she had crawled across the rocky ground, her fingers and knees scraped and slick with blood. Her body shook uncontrollably and she could barely force her arms and legs to push her forward. She could not remember what happened; how she had gotten hurt, why she was alone… All she knew was that she had to get away; as far away as possible.

"Wyatt!" she screamed for the umpteenth time, tears of pain, frustration, and hopelessness pouring down her cheeks.

The air around her was heavy and thick; heat radiating from a point beyond her vision and bending the air. Her eyes felt grimy, and as she tried to rub away the dirt all she did was smear her face with more blood, and more sand. She hissed out a breath as her wounds screamed in response, and collapsed momentarily; her face wet against the hot stone.

A screeching met her ears; other-worldly and almost not there. It pierced through the dark terrain, screaming in victory. She stared through stinging eyes as dark masses of shadows flitted though the air around her, their voices carried on the slight wind. She immediately shoved her body up from the ground, sliding backward as best she could, her sneakers slipping over the rocks as she tried to get away from the floating apparitions. They launched at her, sliding around her and within her. They were underneath her skin and behind her eyes, everywhere, and their voices shouted loudly; so loudly and she could no longer hear anything else. She could not hear the breeze scattering the dirt; the voice that called her name in terror, or her own screams as the shadows taunted her relentlessly.

Her throat parched; she could no longer shout, and so drew her knees up and lowered her head, hiding behind them, her bloody arms encircling them and her in a protective stance.

And she sobbed.

She did not know how long the tears poured down her cheeks, only that they dried so quickly from the air around her, and that they were not enough to quell the hopelessness inside of her.

"WYATT!" she screamed with all she had left, ripping her throat from the inside and feeling the raw burning. Her head tipped back to stare at the black sky, she heard her voice echoing throughout the Underworld. She remained that way for a long time, until she finally accepted defeat and buried her head in the knees of her ripped jeans again.

"Lena," Wyatt whispered as he orbed in beside her, Paige on the other side. They kneeled next to the clearly distraught girl, prodding her and trying to make her notice them. She finally lifted her head, staring around with wild eyes. "Lena, honey, we're going to take you home," Wyatt announced, a lump forming in his throat as he surveyed his cousin's horrible condition. Without saying a word, she extended her arm and allowed Wyatt to take it gently and lift her to her feet before casting a nervous glance at Paige and then orbing away.

* * *

Chris knocked lightly on the large oak door, a glittering magical label reading "Lena's Room: Enter Under Fear of Death." Wyatt had made it for her fourteenth birthday when she was going through a badass superwitch phase, they all thought it was funny and so she kept it even now. He heard a slight murmur from the other side, and so pushed the door open, looking into the bedroom.

Her huge bedroom had various uses. There was the bedroom set and TV, a desk and computer, and a couch and chaise lounge chair. Lena's family definitely came from money.

In the center of the room, Lena lay against about a dozen pillows on her four poster canopy bed, bandages covering her head, her face, her arms, and her hands. Wyatt had tried valiantly to heal her, but it was of no use, her body kept rejecting it. Chris cursed silently, wishing he had been the one to find her in the Underworld. Instead, his father had followed his orb trail and forced him back to the Manor.

"Hey," she said weakly, glancing at him through half-closed sea-green eyes. Her mother and father had been quick to apply a Kalos secret family recipe healing salve to her wounds. They had already begun to heal, but something else seemed to be making Lena sick.

"Hey," he responded over the lump in his throat, sitting down in the chair already beside her bed; the one his Aunt Phoebe had been sitting in since Wyatt brought Lena home two days ago.

"You look like hell," she smiled, pushing a piece of her hair back with her bandaged fingers.

"Wow, thanks," Chris replied, well aware of his exhausted appearance; he had been having trouble sleeping lately. "How are you feeling?"

"Mom gave me something earlier – a potion – I don't feel so sick anymore." The potion actually dulled her senses so she couldn't feel as sick, and it made her groggy. "Chris – what happened? I remember the brute demons, and then…" She trailed off, thinking of how she had panicked in the Underworld, the dark shapes floating around her.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "Wyatt found me right where they attacked us, but something in between is missing."

"And I can't heal."

"We're gonna figure it out – whoever did this – they won't get away with it. But right now, you just need to rest."

"I'm bored of resting," she sighed. "Do you have to leave?" she asked, casting a doe-eyed expression at him.

"No," he responded.

"Can we watch those movies again, just you and me?" She scrunched up her face, looking for everything like a little girl.

"Lena…"

"Please? Please, please, please?" she pleaded, her bandaged hands clasped together.

"But all three Lord of the Rings movies? That'll take us forever!" Chris exclaimed, knowing full well she would be able to make him fold, and just glad that his homework wouldn't take him too long tonight anyway.

"Please."

A beat.

"All right, but only because you're sick."

"And because you made me watch all of the Harry Potter movies when you had the flu," Lena added with a laugh.

"I still don't see why now of all times you would want to watch a movie about the forces of darkness and their ugly henchman trying to wipe out existence. Sounds too realistic for me," he added with a shudder as he walked over to her entertainment center and started looking for the discs of the old movies.

"But in the end, despite all of the suffering and how much they might have wanted to give up, the good guys win," she pointed out optimistically. "Shows you can live through hell and still come out on top."

"As long as it all works out the pain doesn't matter?" Chris asked, turning the TV and disc player on. Lena patted the side of her queen sized bed, and Chris smiled as he climbed on top of her blankets, remembering all of the times they and Wyatt had stayed there together while the Charmed Ones went off on a vanquish and left Alec behind to worry and watch the kids at his house rather than the Manor. Those had been the really bad demon fights; the one where they didn't know if they were ever going to come home; where they left Alec behind as sentry – to protect their children from the demons who would surely come after the Charmed Ones demise.

"Yeah," Lena responded to his question. "Just look at our family if you want proof. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel," she added, coughing slightly afterwards.

"Words to live by – as long as that tunnel isn't leading you to the hereafter," he warned.

She grinned at him. "Of course not," she said, snuggling up against his shoulder. He put his arm around her to allow her to rest her head against his chest. "I like this," she said, referring to the time they spent together. "I don't want to lose it."

"You won't."

As the movie began, Lena pulled in a shuddering breath and was barely aware of what she said next. "Something bad is going to happen; something really bad."

"What?" Chris questioned, knowing she had entered that strange state of being where she caught random glimpses and feelings about the future.

"I don't know; I can't see it yet. But we're all going to make it as long as we remain strong and stick together. That's all."

"Okay," Chris responded as she blinked, coming out of her psychic haze. "Lena…" he began, wondering if she knew what she just said.

"Shh, I like this part," she shushed. And so Chris let it go, surprised when he realized he found her words slightly comforting. Little did he know that both of the conditions she set on their survival were much easier said than done.

By the time Frodo and company were fleeing the mines of Moria, Gandalf falling off the cliff after the Balrog, Chris could hear Lena's breathing slowing down to a heavy sleep. He shifted her head slightly to get more comfortable, and pushed a lock of hair out of her face. Then he turned back to the movie, knowing he would leave soon, and just wanting to enjoy the moment of simplicity. Who knew how much longer this could last?

* * *

Chris had been attempting to write a paper for class, but steadily pacing footsteps in the attic above him kept distracting him, not to mention the annoyance and anger he kept sensing from that certain someone. Slamming his book shut with a loud thud, Chris stormed up the attic stairs, intent on telling him to knock it off.

As Chris tossed the door open to the attic he expected to see Wyatt standing there, what he did not expect were the three brute demons trapped in a rather large crystal cage. How had he heard Wyatt's pacing and not their screaming? Although, he had felt rather than heard the footsteps…

"Silence barrier?" Chris said, catching Wyatt's attention and causing him to jump. The lurid blue light hanging around the room solidified Chris' accusation. If Wyatt had not been so mad he would have looked guilty; that kid with his hand stuck in the cookie jar look he always gave them when he was doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"Chris…" Wyatt said warningly, telling his little brother to not get in his way. Chris just stood awkwardly in the doorway, the demons casting him glances of disdain and Wyatt turned a hardened expression on them.

"Which one of you three attacked two witches in the Underworld recently?" Wyatt demanded. The demons just laughed at him. Wyatt shook with rage and pushed a crystal against the cage, causing electricity to spin through those caught within it. "I'm going to ask you again! Did you attack two witches in the Underworld!" he screamed as he pulled the crystal away again.

"You mean that little bitchy girl with the black hair?" one of the three Brutes asked with a smile. "I would give you a better description, but after I punched her face in it was hard to tell what she looked like."

Wyatt made to lunge at the demon, even through the cage, but Chris knocked him back with a bout of telekinesis and approached them himself. "Who sent you?" he asked.

"Did you hear the way she screamed when I twisted her arm backwards?" the brute asked one of his fellows, smiling broadly. "And when I knocked her down, she kept squirming underneath me," he laughed. "If we didn't have a deal, I would've wanted to enjoy that a little longer."

"Son of a bitch!" Wyatt growled, knocking the crystals out of the way as he bodily attacked the demon who had been speaking.

"Wyatt, stop!" Chris shouted, not fast enough to prevent the other two brutes from shimmering out the moment they escaped.

"Got a problem with what I did, little boy?" the brute taunted as Wyatt aimed punches at his face, completely forgetting about magic. "You can't blame a guy though, can you? She was awfully feist—" Wyatt roared, and as he backed up to pull his arm farther and get in a better hit, the demon took his chance and shimmered out. Wyatt fell slightly to the floor.

"Good going, Wyatt," Chris sighed, pulling his brother to his feet. "Now he's escaped."

"He wouldn't have told us anything anyway."

"What the hell were you doing?"

"Trying to find out who was behind what happened to you and Lena!" Wyatt shouted, angry that he had lost his chance.

"Yeah, I figured that out myself. I meant why were you doing this alone? You never torture demons by yourself! If there really is some greater power behind this then you could've gotten hurt!"

"I would've been fine," Wyatt protested.

"Remember what happened to me! I was God-knows-where for God-knows-how-long and I don't even know what happened! And then look what happened to Lena! You might be Mr. All-Powerful but you aren't infallible, Wyatt!"

"Chris I was not going to bring you into this, not after what happened!"

"And why not?" he demanded angrily. "Because you're so much more powerful than me, that it would have been ridiculous to bring weak little second rate Christopher along?" His eyes flashed with years of repressed jealousy.

"No! Of course not!" Wyatt responded with disbelief. He would never think that way of Chris.

"We're only as strong as we are together, Wyatt, and you know that! Acting separately – it's not smart," Chris pressed angrily.

"I don't want to lose you!" Wyatt finally admitted. He stared his younger brother in the eye, frightened blue meeting calm green. "When I couldn't sense you… God Chris, it hurt so much. And I was afraid… and you know I don't do fear. I thought you were going to die, that I'd never see you again."

"I don't want to lose you either, Wyatt. But you know we can't control that. We just have to stick together, it's the power of **three**, remember? Not one. And soon we're going to become the Charmed Ones, and we need to be a team."

"I… alright," Wyatt sighed.

"Good, but all this togetherness will have to start tomorrow, because I really need to finish that paper."

Chris walked to the doorway and then stopped, turning to face his brother again. "You should go see Lena. I'm not good with all these warm and fuzzy moments, but you know she loves the whole emotional thing. I know you haven't been over there since you found her, and I think it would do you some good to talk to her."

* * *

**A/N: A little brotherly love tossed in there at the end. So, what'd you think? I like the dynamics of the group I have here, with Lena being, well, Lena, kind of like the mid-point between Chris and Wyatt. Chris not being good with feelings - I just can't picture him as a pour-you-heart-out type guy, but Wyatt being the complete opposite. I think it's a good balance, and kind of interesting.**

**And now we know Dakian is planning something involving Chris, but what?**

**Let me know what you think.**

**See ya,**

**ACE**


	8. Siblings

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay in postings, I just couldn't get this chapter to flow right. I'm planning on writing a couple of one-shots for backstories mentioned in Repercussions, so that I can save space in this story for only relevant information. If there's anything specific you'd like to see in a one-shot or two-short or anything, just let me know.**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one.**

**Enjoy!

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**

Repercussions

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 8: Siblings

* * *

_When brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life._ Antisthenes

* * *

Prue panted, her breath coming in short gasps. She fell to her knees, her hands clutching a rotting bench so hard her knuckles turned white. "What's happening to me?" she whispered, feeling like invisible hands were twisting her limbs and her heart. "Dakian! Dakian!" she screamed at the sky. Ever since she had taken the first of a promised many power stripping potions she had felt off, not exactly ill, but just worn and old. Nel felt the same way, and they valiantly tried to hide it from their mother, not wanting her to discover what they had done.

Prue had begun to have second thoughts about this little plan of theirs as well. The agreement she made with Dakian had clearly stated that they would do what he wanted – get what he wanted off the list, and then he would strip their powers. She didn't remember anything about slow-acting multiple dose potions, and she knew instinctively that Dakian would want more from her before he gave her the second potion. She was acutely aware of the slippery slope she had embarked on when she agreed to Dakian's deal in the first place. He was going to take this in baby steps, so that each time she had to go a little further it would only be a small step from the last thing she'd done.

She would just have to make him understand that this was not part of their agreement.

"Dakia-!" she stopped mid-yell as the demon in question flamed in before her. "What did you do to me?!" she demanded angrily.

"If you don't receive the next dose of the potion, you will die," Dakian explained simply, sitting nonchalantly on the bench, knowing the girl in question had no power over him.

"And let me guess, it's not going to come free?" Prue questioned, her eyebrow lifted in annoyance.

"You're learning quickly, that's good," he smiled. He pulled a potion bottle from his robes and Prue lunged for it, he quickly moved it from her grasp. "Uh-uh, this one is not for you. I need you to make your cousin Christopher ingest this."

"You want me to do what?" Prue demanded.

"Get him to drink it, or use a needle to shoot it up his veins, either way is fine," Dakian clarified.

"What's it going to do to Chris?" she asked.

"I don't think that concerns you, my dear."

"No way. I'm not going to poison Chris. Take your potion and shove it."

"Not even to save your own life?" Dakian asked. "I won't be giving you a second dose of that potion unless you do this for me, and without it you will die."

"Well then it'll be my own fault. I'll tell my mother, she'll be able to whip up a potion to fix this."

"Except she won't. This potion is composed of highly dark magic. Your witch and whitelighter family would never be able to duplicate it, no matter how far they were willing to go."

"Then I'll die. But I'm not going to do this to Chris."

"So you won't do it to save your own life, but what about the life of your sister?" he asked. Prue seemed to lose her composure for a moment as she thought of Nel. Her twin had been less than inclined to take Dakian up on his offer, but she had convinced her; bullied her even into going along with it. And now… now she had been backed into a wall. She had to make a choice, her and Nel's lives or Chris'? Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of the hopeless situation she had put herself into.

"Just tell me… will that potion… will it kill him?" she asked, her voice quavering despite her best attempts at control.

"No," Dakian answered.

"Then why?" she began, not able to intone the rest of her thought.

"That's my business."

"No dammit, you owe me more of an explanation than that. What are you going to do to my cousin?"

"I am going to help him realize his true potential."

"What does that mean?" Prue asked angrily.

"It's all I can say. So, Chris or Nel?" Dakian asked, holding out the potion bottle.

The bond of sisters, especially twins, was much stronger than that between her and her cousin. She hated herself as she reached for the potion, and only hoped that somehow Chris would understand why she had to do – whatever this would do to him.

"Ah, good choice," Dakian smiled.

* * *

Chris and Wyatt spent all of their free time that week searching for leads on who sent the demons after Lena and Chris. Unfortunately, they could not repeat the luck Wyatt had when he trapped the Brute demons. 'Warrick,' and 'Cadmus' spent every night at Underworld bars talking to their contacts and following up on leads.

They returned from the Underworld bar on Friday night feeling thoroughly depressed. They had just learned that the Brutes they were asking about had been vanquished by another demon; they were gone, and with them went their only lead. Chris had tried in vain to come up with some sort of description of the demons that attacked him, but he hadn't been able to figure it out. So they were back to square one.

Orbing into the attic still in full disguise, Chris let out a long sigh and sank into the nearest chair. "A little late for partying, isn't it?" a voice from the corner asked. Chris and Wyatt jumped in surprise as their mother stood from within the shadows and walked towards them. "Where the hell have you two been, and what the hell are you wearing?" Piper demanded.

Chris eyed Wyatt nervously. Wyatt pulled the brown wig off of his blonde hair and cast a glance at his all-black ensemble, adorned with grommets, chains, and weapons. Chris' clothes were similar, and his black wig made it hard to even recognize him.

"Uhhhh…." Wyatt began uncertainly. "We were just…"

"In the Underworld?" Piper finished for him, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Yes, we were trying to find out who sent the demons after Chris and Lena," Wyatt said with just a touch of irritation.

"Why don't we discuss this downstairs, with you two looking like my sons and not something I should vanquish," Piper said through gritted teeth. The two witchlighters had no other choice than to do as she said.

* * *

Chris and Wyatt walked down the stairs together, both annoyed at how their mother insisted on treating them like children. They worked themselves into a good righteous fury by the time they reached their mother and father who waited in the living room.

"All right, we're here, commence with the lecturing," Wyatt said sarcastically, plopping down on the sofa and leaning back.

"How long have you been doing this?" Piper demanded.

"How long have we been going to Underworld bars? Do you mean how long tonight? Or this week? This month? This year?" Wyatt mused.

"Wyatt," Chris warned.

"Sorry," Wyatt muttered knowing by his mother's glare that he had crossed the line.

"What are you two thinking?! You could have gotten yourselves killed!" she shouted. Chris and Wyatt shared a meaningful glance, deciding their mother would blow a gasket if she knew how long they had been doing this.

It had begun when Wyatt was sixteen and stumbled across a demon bar by accident. When he realized the free way in which the demons shared information with their fellows he realized joining in could be much more effective than capture and torture. Worried about demons who could sense a glamour, he made himself a disguise and began going down, lying low and not attracting too much attention to himself. Two years later Chris joined him, and they began to make a name for themselves as demons, being labeled as 'upper level.' On Lena's eighteenth birthday they introduced her to the world of demonic bars and the trio had roved them for information ever since. Admittedly it wasn't the most intelligent thing to do, they always worried that one day their cover would be blown and they would find themselves at the mercy of dozens of angry demons, but it was a chance they were willing to take. Pretending to be demons and getting information this way helped them stay one step ahead of their opponents, and may very well be why they were still alive.

"What the hell were you two thinking?! Isn't it bad enough you go down there looking for trouble; looking for a fight – but now you're actually disguising yourselves as demons, making yourselves vulnerable targets. What would happen if they figured out who you were? If they all turned on you?"

"We know what we're doing," Chris responded firmly.

"Like hell you do!" Piper shouted, her words and glare aimed directly at Chris. In the back of her mind a petulant and independent whitelighter kept them on a 'need to know' basis and died for it, and she would be damned if she let her son repeat his mistakes.

"Mom, no offense, but we're a little old for this lecture," Wyatt said, drawing her attention to him and frowning over her behavior. "Chris and I are both adults, if we want to do this, then we will. And if you don't like it then we can easily move out into a place of our own."

* * *

"That went well," Chris sighed as he flopped down on his bed. His hair was still wet from the shower and he watched Wyatt pace around their shared bedroom. "What's up with you anyway? Going all 'independent adult' on her."

"I just didn't like that she was yelling at you when I'm the reason we ever started doing this whole demon bar thing," Wyatt answered with a shrug. "So, about the demons, what're we going to do?" he asked, wanting desperately to change the subject. Whether his mother realized it or not she had always seemed to chew Chris out more than Wyatt when the two of them caused trouble together, and it bothered the older brother in Wyatt.

Chris rolled his eyes but complied with his brother's topic change, not wanting to deal with a 'protective older brother' moment. "At this point I think we really just have to wait for Lena to recover. She'll be able to do her mind stuff on the demons and have more luck than we will."

"Yeah I guess we just have to wait. How weird is that – how many times have we had to wait for someone to 'recover'? It just doesn't make sense." Wyatt ran a hand through his hair. "What the hell happened to her?"

"I don't know," Chris responded honestly. "But I think it's pretty clear that this – whatever it is – isn't over yet."

* * *

"I can't do this again."

The ticking clock provided the only response to Phoebe's words. Her hands were wrapped tightly around a cup of tea that had long since grown cold. Her knuckles had gone white and she shook her head in emphasis.

"Phoebe…" Paige began uncertainly, looking to Piper for encouragement. The eldest simply gave her a glance that read she had no idea how to handle this.

"I thought I could do it, you know? I mean I'm a witch. It was hard with Alec being one too, you know, both of us in danger all of the time. And so why should it be any different with my daughter? I just… I thought maybe she'd be more cautious, more practical, more _sane_, but she's so much like Alec. She thinks this is fun, like it's a game or something. But demon hunting is not a game, it's serious, and we've seen our share of losses. And even she's seen losses; her friends have been killed, she was even missing for a week that time 7 years ago; how can she not see this the way I see it? Why can't she stop the kick-ass-superwitch-fearless bullshit?

I just can't feel her dying again, and end up doing nothing except scrying uselessly while Wyatt and Paige go looking for her. She was so frightened when you brought her back, and I just… she doesn't even remember what happened. She could have died. She still might. I just can't do it again, I can't."

"Phoebe…" Paige began, but paused, unsure of what to say. "You can't control her," she finally decided on. "Lena's going to do what she's going to do and there's nothing you can do to stop her."

"Well there should be."

"You keep comparing her to Alec – but Alec turned out alright, he's still alive," Paige said, trying to get her sister to think positively.

"Oh yes, wonderful; the man who turned into the Terminator – only a witch instead of a robot – when his parents died and nearly got himself killed over a dozen times going after a demon much too strong for him. He had some luck I'll tell you, and somehow 'luck' is not what I want to stake my daughter's life on."

"But what could you possibly do to stop her? She's twenty years old, you can't ground her like a child, she'll just leave," Paige argued.

"You know what Paige, you can stop acting like the authority on parenting. Your kids resent you for a lot, and your relationship with them is far from perfect; so don't try and tell me what I can and cannot do when it comes to my own daughter."

Paige fought the urge to argue back, but chomped down on her anger, knowing that Phoebe had reason to be a little irritable right now.

"Not to put any more stress on you Pheebs, but you should know that last night I talked to the boys and found out they're been disguising themselves as demons and hanging out in Underworld bars to get information for demon hunts. And if they're in on it, Lena probably is too."

Paige turned her head to hide the guilty expression that graced her face. She had known all about their Underworld escapades, and never told their parents about it. As far as she knew the only other person who had a clue about that was Alec, and he sure didn't share the information with his wife.

"God," Phoebe sighed, her head in her hands. "We never should have let those three spend so much time together. How the hell are we going to fix this?"

"Maybe you should talk to Alec," Piper suggested. "He's always been able to talk sense into those three."

"I would try, but I'm not sure he would even say anything. I love the man but he can be so thickheaded when it comes down to this. And don't even get him started on a 'well Phoebe, my ancestors were fierce demon hunters, and every family had to have at least 10 kids because most were killed before the age of 18 in demon fights' story; or a 'Phoebe, it's only natural for Lena to be so involved in magic, for generations my family has fought the good fight' speech."

"So what are you going to do?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," Phoebe responded miserably. "I just don't know."

* * *

**A/N: Please review to let me know what you thought of this chapter, and if you have a one-shot request.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**_A.C.E._**


	9. Prophecy

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter.

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**

Repercussions

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 9: Prophecy

* * *

_I'm a war, of head versus heart,  
And it's always this way.  
My head is weak, my heart always speaks,  
Before I know what it will say._

"Crooked Teeth" Death Cab for Cutie

* * *

_Last time: _

"_I need you to make your cousin Christopher ingest this."_

_"You want me to do what?" Prue demanded._

_"Get him to drink it, or use a needle to shoot it up his veins, either way is fine," Dakian clarified._

_"What's it going to do to Chris?" she asked._

_"I don't think that concerns you, my dear."_

_"No way. I'm not going to poison Chris. Take your potion and shove it."_

_"Not even to save your own life?" Dakian asked. "I won't be giving you a second dose of that potion unless you do this for me, and without it you will die."_

_"Then I'll die. But I'm not going to do this to Chris."_

_"So you won't do it to save your own life, but what about the life of your sister?" he asked. Prue seemed to lose her composure for a moment as she thought of Nel. Her twin had been less than inclined to take Dakian up on his offer, but she had convinced her; bullied her even into going along with it. And now… now she had been backed into a wall. She had to make a choice, her and Nel's lives or Chris'? Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of the hopeless situation she had put herself into._

_"Just tell me… will that potion… will it kill him?" she asked, her voice quavering despite her best attempts at control. _

_"No," Dakian answered._

_"Then why?" she began, not able to intone the rest of her thought._

_"That's my business."_

_"No dammit, you owe me more of an explanation than that. What are you going to do to my cousin?"_

_"I am going to help him realize his true potential."_

_"What does that mean?" Prue asked angrily. _

_"It's all I can say. So, Chris or Nel?" Dakian asked, holding out the potion bottle._

_The bond of sisters, especially twins, was much stronger than that between her and her cousin. She hated herself as she reached for the potion, and only hoped that somehow Chris would understand why she had to do – whatever this would do to him. _

"_Ah, good choice," Dakian smiled.

* * *

_

"Lena," Phoebe whispered, entering her daughter's darkened bedroom. She knocked lightly on the door to get her attention from where she lay on top of the bed. "It's time to go to dinner," she added. "If you still feel up to it, that is." Since all of the adults and their children had quite busy lives, Piper had installed family dinners on Sunday nights at her house so that everyone could catch up and keep contact with each other.

"Lena?" Phoebe asked when she didn't respond. Lena's eyes were open and scanning the ceiling, as if following something Phoebe couldn't see. "Lena?"

"Betrayers," she muttered. "Two betrayers, breaking the bonds of family and magic. Sacrifice. One sacrifice; the one who is two and died as he was born."

Phoebe's eyes widened and then she raced to Lena's side, wrenching a pen and paper from the bedside table and scribbling down her daughter's words as quickly as she could. Lena was prophesizing, a power she barely used and suddenly she was speaking in torrents.

"Light will become dark. A dark shadow hovers and listens. Listens and watches. Never alone. Family against family; brother against brother; self against self. Twice vanquished will come to life. In the final hour one of the Warren line will perish." Phoebe sat helplessly by her side as she spoke in crisp monotone, hating that Lena's eyes were so empty, and waiting for her to return.

Lena's eyes roamed the ceiling again and then she blinked and awareness returned. "Mom?" she asked shakily.

"Yeah baby?"

"I'm scared," she whispered.

"Scared of what?" Phoebe questioned, taken aback by Lena's sudden childlike honesty.

"Something bad is going to happen," Lena said. She turned to Phoebe and the mother could see the glazed look to her daughter's eyes, the hollowness she gained after seeing into a terrible future.

She shuddered and her eyes squeezed shut, gasping. She threw her head back against the pillow and her muscles tensed. Phoebe laid her hands on Lena as the younger woman began to shake violently.

"No," Lena said desperately, her head shaking back and forth. "No please… mom help me," she whispered painfully.

"Lena!" Phoebe called, resting her hands on her daughter's face and trying to read her mind. But the young witch had her mental shields up, obviously in response to whatever she was seeing, and Phoebe could do nothing to help her.

Orb lights coalesced into the form of a tall young man with shaggy brown hair and green-blue eyes. He raced to Lena's side, kneeling next to the bed. "What's going on?" he asked Phoebe.

"I don't know, I think it's a vision," Phoebe responded, her voice shaking. "I've never seen one like this before. Can you do anything Tyler?" she demanded of the whitelighter. Tyler had been Lena's guide since she turned twelve, and though physically young, he was experienced and always seemed to provide solutions.

"I'll um… I'll go talk to the Elders," he said, swallowing hard before disappearing.

After a few minutes Lena stopped shaking, but she had fallen deeply asleep, and though Phoebe tried, she could not wake her.

* * *

"You stupid, sanctimonious, pain-in-the-ass, good-for-nothing, self-centered, holier than thou…" As orbs coalesced within the living room of the Halliwell Manor, the figure had already begun ranting. Leo watched the orbs carefully, they had a slight green tint to them, so they did not belong to his sons or Paige. When they finally merged into Tyler, Leo just rolled his eyes. "…all-seeing, all-knowing, peeping-tom, superior—"

"Tyler, what do you want?" Leo said, breaking in on Tyler's words. Alerted by the two voices, Chris, Wyatt, and Piper all slid into the room to listen in.

"I want to know if there's any bit of compassion, consideration, or common sense rolling around in your head, and the heads of your stupid 'colleagues'," he snarled.

"Maybe if you would tell me what exactly you're referring to here…"

"How can you people release powers to someone in her condition?!" he demanded with protective ire in his eyes.

"Tyler, could you please sit down, stop using that tone with me, and explain what you're talking about," Leo said harshly. Looking more like an angry teenager than an experienced whitelighter, Tyler lowered himself to the couch, still glaring daggers at Leo. "Good. Now, who are we talking about?"

"Lena!" Tyler shouted as if Leo should have already known that.

"What about Lena?" Leo questioned, feeling a migraine coming on. Tyler had seemed to learn Elder-bashing from the Halliwells.

"The Elders – you and your people – have released more of her powers! Now! Despite the fact that she's injured and ill and can barely stay lucid for an hour!"

"I don't know anything about them releasing her powers, Tyler. I'm a part-time Elder, remember?" Leo said with annoyance.

"Well… you should know… you're in with this family… and really, it's not the right time! Don't the Elders even peek through those damned clouds to see if the witches are ready before they do these things?"

Leo had opened his mouth to respond, but someone cut him off.

"Is something wrong with Lena? Is she okay?" Wyatt demanded, coming out of his hiding place and standing in front of Tyler.

"She's stuck in a vision," Tyler sighed, shaking his head. "But her power's increased phenomenally, she's connected empathically, and telepathically in the vision. And at this point I don't even think she's aware that the vision isn't happening to her – she keeps screaming for Phoebe to help her," he said.

"Can Phoebe get her out of it?" Chris asked.

"No, Lena has her shields up, she's just waiting it out now." Tyler looked distracted for a moment, and then turned his attention back to Wyatt and Chris. "She's out of it, I'm going to go back. Sorry for barging in," he said as he disappeared.

"We should go check up on her," Wyatt suggested. Chris agreed, and both were dissipating into orb lights when their mother's voice stopped them.

"Boys, I think you should let Phoebe handle this okay. If Lena needs you, she can give you a call. Just leave them. Paige and the girls will be here soon, so come on and help me with dinner."

* * *

"Lena, what did you see?" Phoebe asked, sitting in front of Lena on her bed, running her hands through the younger girl's tangled hair.

"I don't… it's so scattered now…" Lena responded. Her face was tear-streaked and eyes bloodshot from the vision she had just experienced. "It was… pain… and evil… there was evil everywhere, around me trying to get in, and God it hurt so bad… Mom I don't understand, what was it trying to tell me?" she asked in desperate confusion.

"I don't know baby. You should get some rest," she suggested.

"No," Lena protested, her hand shooting out and gripping Phoebe's wrist. "I don't want to sleep… It's Sunday, right? Shouldn't we be going to Aunt Piper's for dinner?"

"Lena I don't really think you're up to it."

"No, I want to go," Lena said.

* * *

Prue rolled the vial Dakian had given her over and over in her hand which was obscured by her pocket. She listened to the chatter from the kitchen where Wyatt, Chris, Paige, Phoebe, Piper, and Nel were working on dinner. Alec, Mark, and Leo were setting the table, and she was sitting in the parlor with Lena who was dozing lightly on the couch. She was feeling sicker everyday, and so was Nel. She had to give Chris the contents of the vial soon, or else both she and her sister could die. Lena shifted and her arm slipped out from under the afghan Phoebe had laid over her. Prue stared at the white bandages that were wrapped over her arm and wrist. Her fingers were free of bandages, but not of injuries. Lena's perfectly manicured nails had been ripped and torn, jagged lines down to the cuticle; dried blood under the nail and bruises and cuts on her fingers.

It sickened Prue. Thanks to the whitelighters no one in the family had ever been that messed up; that injured for very long. But just looking at it shocked Prue back into the realization of how damn dangerous the life of a witch was. Things like this were one of the reasons that she just couldn't do it anymore, she just had to give it up.

Chris laughed loudly from the kitchen and Prue rubbed her hand against her forehead, trying to steel herself for what she had to do. All she had to do was offer to bring the drinks in, and then slip it into Chris' when he wasn't looking; when no one in the family was looking. They were probably going to be having some wine from the Kalos Vineyard, so there was no chance of just grabbing a mostly empty bottle of water and slipping it in ahead of time. On the plus side, the wine would hide the color of the potion.

As if she could sense the traitorous thoughts even in her sleep, Lena's eyes flicked open. Prue practically jumped off of the chair, desperate to get away from her cousin before Lena heard her thoughts and figured out what she was about to do.

* * *

Unfortunately for Prue, Alec had insisted on opening the wine at the table, so she couldn't get to Chris' portion ahead of time. Prue had tried for the seat beside Chris, but her twice-blessed cousin had ushered Lena into it before she had the chance, and Chris' other side was occupied by Piper. So she had to settle for the seat across the table, still trying to figure out how to dose him with the potion. Throughout the dinner she had caught Lena's eyes on her, and she wondered if her cousin had any idea what she was thinking, if she were going to stop her.

Ironically, it was Lena who provided her the opening she needed. She was lifting her glass of wine to her lips when she gasped and dropped it. Red stained the tablecloth and splattered her clothes. But she did not notice, deep in a vision her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. However, when her body went rigid and she tipped out of her chair, Chris and Wyatt were quick to drop to the floor and catch her, and the rest of the family stood, rounding the table to see if they could offer assistance. Seeing her chance, Prue leaned across the table and dumped the potion into Chris' glass, hoping he would still be in the mood to drink after this.

"Lena?" Wyatt whispered softly as she opened her eyes and stared up at her family.

"Hey, help me up," she requested softly. They helped her back into her chair, the wine having just missed soaking into the cushion. Alec left the room to get a glass of water for her and everyone waited expectantly for her to recount her vision. "It was just the same one as before," she said hesitantly, catching her mother's eye. Phoebe looked concerned, the expression she had when Lena was sick, or the time Alec had rescued Lena from captivity in the Underworld. "Something's coming," she said, glancing sideways at Chris. "But it's all too fuzzy now," she added. Everyone kept staring at her and she downed the water her father handed to her.

Eventually conversation sprung up again and everyone went back to their dinner. No one noticed how intensely Prue was staring at Chris as he downed the last of his wine.

* * *

**A/N: Just one more chapter before we get back to the meat of this story. Let me know what you think!**

**Thanks for reading,**

**_Ada_**


	10. Organized

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 10: Organized

* * *

Chris was sick before they made it to dessert. His face going white, he had raced out of the room and into the hall bathroom so quickly that no one needed to listen to know what was going on in there. Piper followed after Chris, leaving the rest of the family staring out of the dining room uncertainly. Dinner broke up after that, Chris having gone to bed, Wyatt not-so-discreetly disappearing to check in on him, and Lena dozing off at the dining room table.

Piper insisted on boxing up slices of the key lime pie she had baked for everyone to take home, but her mind was clearly elsewhere as she handed off the tin-foil wrapped sections.

* * *

Chris was sick for the rest of the week, alternating between vomiting and sleeping. But the sickness seemed normal enough, natural enough, that the family just let it run its course and didn't look into it too much. By the end of the week Chris was feeling better and more than willing to start looking into the darklighter that had rendered him unconscious for so long all that time ago, and the demons who had injured Lena.

As for Prue and Nel, the twins received the last dose of the power-stripping potion from Dakian and recovered quickly. They worked hard to conceal their sudden loss of magic from their family, not too much of a feat considering they never wanted to participate in demon hunts anyway, and they regularly found excuses to skip out on Magic School weekends.

Two weeks later Lena's mysterious wounds healed and she was back to fighting form. She was already trying to find those responsible for her injuries despite Phoebe's pleas that she would give the demon fighting a rest for a while and focus on her schoolwork or her social life. Of course Lena thought that frequenting the meetings of many local covens counted as a social life, so she really thought she had that part covered.

However, no matter how headstrong Wyatt, Chris, and Lena were, there was one strict rule when it came to large demon battles and the Halliwells; the Charmed Ones were always in charge.

So on April 6th when a large convoy of demons launched an offensive against witches in the city, maiming and killing, the Charmed Ones took it upon themselves to organize the counterattack. The demons had all, coincidentally or not, chosen the meeting points of various covens to stage their attacks, and so managed to find witches in groups to attack. The Charmed Ones took down the locations and broke themselves and some of their witch acquaintances into pairs to sort it out. They called Wyatt out of work, and he pled a family emergency to his superiors, trying to ignore the knowing glances they cast each other, the way they rolled their eyes over Wyatt's latest excuse, latest emergency.

"Okay, what can I do?" Wyatt asked, approaching the podium where the book sat and Piper flipped through the pages quickly.

"We're going to need your brother," Piper sighed.

"All right, I'll go get Lena too and bring them both here," Wyatt offered, concentrating his mind on his cousin's 'signal' at the university and preparing to orb somewhere in the vicinity when Phoebe's voice stopped him.

"No Wyatt. Go to Lena, tell her what's happening, then orb her to Chris to relay the message."

"Wouldn't it be faster if I just…"

"No Wyatt, because Lena isn't coming back here, okay? She needs to know what's going on because she's definitely going to sense us fighting, but she's not going to be part of this today. Just send her to Chris so he can get here, her class ends in like 10 minutes, and she can drive Chris' car back to the vineyard if she wants to.

"She's not going to like this," Wyatt said hesitantly.

"Well that's just too bad isn't it?"

* * *

Lena waved her arms madly in front of the small window on the door of Chris' classroom. Her cousin remained oblivious, taking quick notes and watching his professor with rapt attention. "He is such a nerd," she grimaced, before reaching out a light mind probe to her cousin. She flushed for a moment when she realized he had been paying more attention to the striking blonde across the room from him than the teacher.

_"And the way her—"_

_("Hey pervert!") _Lena warned, her telepathic voice shouting in his head. Chris' eyes widened. _("Golden boy needs you at home; big demon attack; only the special people are invited.")_

_("What's happening?")_

_("Demons are attacking specific witch-centralized areas in the city, five casualties already."_

_("__Dammit__… But damn I can't leave either, I have too many absences already, I could flunk out.")_

_("Okay… can you slip out for like two seconds? Come on Chris, leave your stuff there, I have a plan.")_

_("Unless it involves cloning or time travel I don't really see what'll help.")_

_("Ass.")_

Silently, Chris stood up and meandered through the rows of desk to reach the door. Lena stepped back as the class followed him with their eyes and then met up with Chris at the end of the hallway.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Demon party," she answered with a hint of annoyance.

"Then why did they send you? You could just have easily told me about this from the Manor," Chris pointed out.

"Yeah well I'm not allowed to go help, they want you though. Wyatt orbed me here from my campus. He said for you to get to the Manor as soon as possible."

"Wait, why aren't you allowed?" Lena's injuries had healed and she was in perfect physical condition. The only change they could see was that her visions were more intense and oftentimes her empathy did not work properly. But those were not good reasons to exclude her from a fight.

"I don't know, but we'll talk later, they need you now." Lena's all-business attitude had Chris concerned, things must have been bad if she wasn't whining and being bratty about having been left out. "This class – how long is it?" she asked.

"Another hour."

"And then?"

"A different class, but I absolutely have to be at that one. Even if the world is about to implode on itself I have to be there."

"Okay, okay," she seemed to be contemplating something. "I'll fill in for you for the rest of this hour, okay? But be back here when it ends for your next class and we'll switch off. Okay?" He nodded in agreement. She closed her eyes and glamoured into Chris. "Car keys, so I can get home when you come back?" LenaChris said reaching out. Chris smiled at the incredibly awkward nature of seeing someone identical to him all the way to his dark denim and button-down shirt and handed the keys over before orbing out.

LenaChris slipped back into the classroom, reminding herself to copy Chris' gait and not walk like a girl. Still seething from being waved off as too weak to fight by her family, LenaChris sat down at the desk, picked up Chris' pen and tuned in to the professor's lecture.

* * *

Chris and Wyatt stuck close together, neither willing to let the other out of their sight. They had orbed into a dark warehouse where a strong evil force could be felt. The dusty glass allowed a sliver of light to penetrate the large structure, but even with that, Chris and Wyatt could not make out any figures. Using non-verbal signals, Wyatt directed Chris to take the right side of the building and he skulked off to the left. Wyatt kept one hand held out in front of him, ready to channel some sort of energy into his palm if met with an opponent. Chris preferred to keep his outline as small as possible, his body tensed for movement but otherwise a lot more stealthy than his older brother.

As Chris crept towards the back of the warehouse he heard low voices. Straining his ears to listen he overheard a conversation between what he supposed were two demons.

"I know he's still in here, I would've sensed it if he left."

"Hiding in the shadows is he? What a coward, a real witch would come out and fight."

"Is that what you think?" Chris' voice boomed as he stepped out of the shadows and into that small patch of light. The demons turned quickly, the light reflecting off of their dead black eyes as they focused on him. Their location revealed, Chris darted back into the shadows and ran at one of them, knocking him to the ground. Light flashed over his head as he landed on top of the demon, and he heard the counter blast that obviously came from Wyatt. Shimmers rippled the still air as back-up demons arrived, and Chris rolled off of the demon, leaping to his feet and tossing the demon telekinetically into the wall of the barn. Another ran at him, male with dark hair. Chris flicked his hands at him, aiming for an immediate combustion, but the demon was strong, with thick magical protection, and so he only managed to rip scratches into his skin that barely fazed him.

"Duck!" Wyatt called. Chris hit the floor and above him Wyatt released an energy pulse. The orange light ripped through the air and two of the four demons incinerated, while the other two, including the one Chris had been fighting held their arms up before them to hold off the power, and then shimmered out of the way.

For a moment there was an uncomfortable stillness, and Chris, now on his feet, exchanged a glance with Wyatt before the demons were upon them. Not leaving room for magic, the fight turned physical, and the sounds of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the structure. Chris aimed a punch at the demon's face but he caught Chris' wrist, his skin overly hot and blistering Chris'. Chris hissed in pain and kicked his legs out, sweeping the demon's out from under him and landing them both on the ground, his opponent slightly on top of him. He knocked the demon off of him, ripping his wrist free and scrambling to his feet, dust scattering around him. He orbed out as the demon attacked, orbing back into a dark corner. He concentrated and then astral projected behind the demon. The athame he aimed for the demon's back wound up in the demon's shoulder, but at just the wrong moment a voice spoke in his head and distracted him. _("Chris, where are you?")_

Annoyed with Lena interrupting him, he quickly shot back _("I'm a little busy right now, I'll check in later,") _completely forgetting why she would be contacting him.

The moment of distraction cost him and the demon tried to drop to the ground to avoid the blade. Chris' weapon embedded itself in the demon's shoulder, and he howled in pain, launching himself at Chris, whose astral form disappeared instantly.

Wyatt fought off his own demon, keeping an eye out for Chris and how he was doing. The brother's were used to fighting side-by-side and fell into an easy rhythm that included watching out for each other. It was a balancing act that required trusting the other person to be capable enough to handle the fight themselves, and to keep attention on his own opponent. Wyatt's enemy was holding up well and it frustrated Wyatt. Martial arts wasn't his strongest point, he always thought of it as a bit of a waste, preferring to let his power speak for itself.

He saw Chris' astral form disappear and then threw an energy ball at the relentless demon who continued to attack the eldest Halliwell. The demon fell backwards and Wyatt unleashed a blast of power that caught the demon unawares and finally vanquished it.

Chris tackled the last demon using telekinesis and his body weight to push him to the ground. He landed on top of him, reaching for his athame and stabbing it repeatedly into the demon's body, even as he became aware that it was dying and he had already succeeded in inflicting a fatal wound. It wasn't until the screaming demon disintegrated to dust and Chris fell the couple of inches where his body had been to the floor that he stopped. Panting, and the athame still clutched tightly in his hand, he looked up to see Wyatt regarding him through surprised and concerned eyes.

"Think you might have overdone it just a little?" Wyatt asked, keeping wary eyes locked on his younger brother. Chris was a skilled demon hunter, but he was never overly vicious unless some member of his family or friend was injured, killed, or in mortal peril. Wyatt couldn't see why Chris would have reacted that way to this.

"Vanquished is vanquished," Chris shrugged, sheathing the athame and standing up.

They heard movement from the far corner and Chris unsheathed the athame, Wyatt standing tall and staring into the darkness.

"Don't attack! Please!" a man's voice called as he stepped out of the shadows, hands up in front of him.

"A witch," Wyatt muttered and Chris put the athame away.

"We're not going to hurt you," Wyatt announced. "I'm Wyatt and this is Chris, we're Halliwells," he informed the man. Chris parted from him, walking the perimeter of the room, searching for signs of what had happened.

"Oh thank God," the man sighed, walking swiftly towards Wyatt, brown hair matted down with blood and his all-black clothes ripped. "There were just so many of them… and we couldn't fight them all of… How did they know where we would be?" he asked.

"I don't know, but why don't you come with us to the rendezvous point and we'll find out what everyone else has discovered," Wyatt suggested. "Chris, ready to go?"

"Yeah," Chris responded, pausing before a stack of crates. If he had continued rummaging he would have found the crystal that lay hidden, the one identical to the crystal that still remained hidden in the Manor.

He returned to Wyatt and the mystery witch and the pair orbed out, the witch orbing with Wyatt.

* * *

Piper, Phoebe, Alec, and Paige were waiting with a group of witches Wyatt did not recognize when he arrived in the Manor's attic. In turn, each witch, including the one Chris and Wyatt found (Pierce Brooks). The stories sounded remarkably similar. At the exact same time, groups of demons had simply shimmered into their supposedly protected meeting sights, interrupting whatever coven activities were going on at the time. One male witch, tall with dark hair, did not speak, instead he lurked in the back corner of the attic, staring at the potion ingredients tossed about with great interest.

Alec Kalos had been in the middle of a meeting with his own group when various magical detectors he had set up around the property began to go off, showing a group of demons perched just outside the magical barriers of the property, staring in at him and his group impatiently and waiting for their chance to strike.

The timing and execution of the attacks was unnerving to say the least, and alluded to someone gaining increasing power in the Underworld.

* * *

LenaChris idly drew designs on the edges of Chris' notes, the professor having gone into an anecdote that only medical nerds would understand. Beside the drawings she had added anecdotes of her own "wife cheats on him. Son might not be his. Cut his hand while slicing his toast. Total wreck in the kitchen. Thinks Jess is hott. Used his wife's shampoo this morning. Likes puppies and damselflies." She felt no regret for hearing the man's thoughts, she had to keep her mind open in case someone at home needed her, and the professor, while monotone and boring during lectures had a buzz of activity spinning around in his head. It would be amusing if it hadn't been giving her a headache.

_('What's __Halliwell__ doing? Not paying attention?')_ Lena caught the professor's thought loud and clear and immediately dropped the pen and turned her attention back to him. He smiled lightly at her as if to say 'gotcha'.

* * *

The hour mark came, and the professor dismissed the class, students quickly shoving books into their bags. Lena felt uneasy, Chris had promised to be back in time for his next class. Was he hurt? No, she would have felt that. They must not be done with the demons.

Lena was looking around nervously when two of Chris' friends that she recognized, and the blonde from earlier came up to her. "Ready to go to anatomy?" Ben, the blonde surfer-type guy asked. "We're dissecting the liver today."

"The liver?" Lena questioned.

"Yep, come on man," Ben said, leading the way out.

("Chris where are you?") Lena sent over a tight mental band.

("I'm a little busy, I'll check in later.") Chris responded.

Lena sighed and followed the trio out, hoping Chris would meet up with her soon.

* * *

Gently, Lena probed the minds of those around her, trying to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do; and what they expected from 'Chris'.

"Let's take a look at that liver, people," the lab professor announced. Lena swallowed against the bile rising in her throat. _Pretend it's a demon you need parts of for a vanquishing potion… pretend it's a demon… pretend it's a demon…_ she chanted in her mind over and over.

"What's wrong, Chris? You look like you're gonna hurl," Matt laughed, noting the look of obvious discomfort on Chris' face.

"Yeah… you know… must be something I ate…" LenaChris muttered, focusing on the task at hand.

* * *

"But how did the demon know where all these covens meet?" Wyatt said. They had sent the extra witches home, and turned the rendezvous into a 'Halliwell Strategy Session.' They were in the attic, spread out among the various couches and chairs, Chris with the Book of Shadows on his lap.

"Clearly they've done their research," Chris sighed, flipping through the Book in search of the demons they vanquished.

"Well we knew someone was creating alliances in the Underworld, this must have been their first major operation," Paige said, sipping from a glass of iced tea. The battle she and Piper fought had been difficult, and luckily Leo had healed their injuries right away, but she still felt tired and drawn out. Alec on the other hand seemed energized by the fight, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, eyes wide open and fidgeting every now and then as if wishing he had something more interesting to do.

"But what were they hoping to achieve?" Phoebe questioned.

"Clearly they wanted to make some sort of statement," Piper sighed.

"They did a pretty good job of that," Leo input. "A lot of witches were killed today, and among other witches, in settings where they felt most free and safe. For the demons to even decide to attack coven meetings… they must have been quite sure that they were prepared for their task."

"Or someone convinced them they were," Alec said. "Prepared or not, how many of the attacking demons actually survived today? We're working with a master here, someone who was able to convince a large number of upper level demons to go on what they all must have known would be suicide missions. Clearly this demon has promised them something, something they're willing to throw away their lives to gain."

"The Source," Wyatt said. "What else could it be? What else would make demons join together? Someone must be close to installing the newest Source."

"And somehow they're convinced that this new Source won't be able to be vanquished by the Charmed Ones," Chris added.

"Hey wait a minute…" Wyatt said suddenly, staring at his watch. "Where's Lena? Her classes are over, shouldn't she be here by now?"

Chris looked at his watch immediately, paling slightly as he registered the time. It had been over three hours since he left Lena in his lecture class. "Oh shit…"

As if their realization had summoned her, they heard Chris' Saab growl as it flew into the driveway.

Tires and brakes squealed as it stopped just in time to miss hitting the garage that lay beyond it. The occupants of the attic winced, pushing the curtains aside and peeking out the window to see an infuriated Chris storming out of the car, slamming the door hard and kicking the tire for good measure before stalking up to the door.

"Well Chris, I suggest you take cover," Phoebe said, glaring at her nephew as she realized that Lena had covered for him in some capacity and now was pissed off.

Chris gulped as they heard loud angry footsteps climbing the stairs. Piper, Leo, Paige, Wyatt, Phoebe, and Chris all stood completely still and silent, awaiting her arrival.

The door flew open, a rush of wind preceding the still-glamoured Lena's entry. She turned ire-filled eyes to Chris and threw his bag violently at him. He TK'ed it away before it could hit his head.

" 'Just one hour, Lena'!" she shouted, not needing to mimic his voice as it remained Chris'. " 'I have another class but I should be back by then'," she added angrily.

"You did offer…" Chris pointed out, trailing off as green eyes narrowed even further. "Could you turn back into yourself before you start yelling again?"

Scowling, she snapped her fingers, shouting before the white lights had disappeared. "I just had to cut up a person, Chris! A fucking PERSON! I am not a med student! I never want to touch a dead body in my life! And yet there I was, cutting it up! For you! It was disgusting and there was all this… and god… the smell… and there… and them… and… and… ARGH! Bastard!"

"Sorry?" he offered.

"You are so not getting a Christmas present this year," Lena hissed. "So what happened?" she asked, immediately changing gears, eager to learn what had gone on during the past few hours.

Wyatt filled her in quickly, glad to see her anger against Chris diffuse to quickly. It was a rare gift for Lena to let something like that go, but Wyatt felt sure that Lena would slowly make Chris pay for it, she could let anger simmer as easily as she could make it boil over and explode.

"Wait a minute, go over the locations of the attacks again," Lena said quietly when Wyatt finished. She looked troubled, and nodded as Wyatt read off each address. "But how is that possible?"

"How is what possible?" Phoebe asked.

"Those are all covens I've been to before, I know all of those groups, and their meeting places." She bit her lip and stared at her hands for a minute, thinking all sorts of dark thoughts.

"Wow Lena, way to be egocentric, not everything's about you, you know?" Wyatt said playfully.

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Phoebe said quickly.

Everyone moved in to reassure Lena except Chris and Paige, who quickly exchanged glances and then stared at the youngest of their group, considering the ways in which this might have happened because of her.

* * *

**A/N: Hmm more and more questions for the Halliwells to decipher! We'll be jumping ahead in time a little in the next chapter to keep this story moving along.**

**I would love to know what you thought!**


	11. A Ripple of Discord

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 11: A Ripple of Discord

* * *

_The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life's essential unfairness._ - Nancy Mitford

* * *

"Chris, duck!" Wyatt called. The younger of the pair hit the floor immediately, the kick aimed at his head meeting no resistance, and its owner nearly losing their balance. "Chris now! Get her!" Chris spun his legs out and knocked his opponent's legs out from under her, laughing at the cursing as she hit the floor.

"Dammit Wyatt you are not allowed to help!" Lena said as Chris reached down and helped her up off the matted floor.

"Aw why not, you would've creamed him, I had to help out little Chrissy somehow," Wyatt smirked.

"Hilarious, Wy, thanks," Chris grumbled. "You know I don't see your ass training in here much."

"Come on Chris, I don't need to 'train'," Wyatt said, rolling his eyes. Chris narrowed his eyes at Wyatt's hubris. His brother never showed much interest in learning how to fight hand-to-hand, and it was a struggle to force him to learn fencing if only for the future use of Excalibur. In Wyatt's mind, a good control of magic trumped physical prowess any day of the week, and as the strongest witch in the world clearly the relentless physical training that Lena and Chris partook in was unnecessary.

In a purely physical fight (no powers), Lena could take on Chris _and_ Wyatt, and still win, Chris knew this innately, indeed she had proven that she could defeat them a number of times. One particularly ego-bruising time she had been blindfolded with one hand tied behind her back, and though she had been overcome eventually, she managed to land quite a few painful blows to her older cousins. Her father had been a relentless trainer, a powerful witch in his own right with years of intense physical training adding to his already impressive display of power. Alec pushed his daughter to be the strongest she could be, to do her ancestors proud. And she did. Which was why Chris was concerned with the ease in which he managed to knock her down, again and again, today.

Chris tried not to meet Lena's eyes as she walked to the corner of the training room, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off of her face. Lena was and forever had been the master of disguise and lies in his family. Sometimes it was easy to be taken in by her deceptions, like when she would act overly hyper and excitable, when she would laugh and giggle and dance around like she was drunk just so no one would look too closely and notice how she was really feeling. A child gifted with second sight practically since she was born, it was safe to say that Lena had seen more things than anyone should ever have to, she had been traumatized from a young age and Chris knew that she had never quite gotten over it. The shadows in her eyes were constant, and her reaction to depression was to push harder, try harder. Chris had witnessed it too many times, watched Lena push herself harder and harder until she collapsed under the pressure.

Ever since the assault on San Francisco and the deaths of so many witches (ten? Twenty? Fifty?) Chris really couldn't remember the number – even though he should, it should end up burned into his mind for at least a year, right? – Lena had shown signs of her depression driven mania. Skipped classes and mornings discovered in the attic asleep on the couch because she couldn't stay awake long enough to sneak back home coupled with doubled training sessions and staring contests with the mirror where Chris wondered exactly what she was searching for, proved that she was once again headed down the dangerous slope of guilt and self-deprecation.

She always blamed herself for everything, but this time Chris wasn't surprised, and he couldn't help but feel bad for being suspicious too. He knew that Lena would never intentionally set those covens up to be attacked, but it could not just be a coincidence. She had let someone get the drop on her, let someone follow her, and that meant they were all in danger, all of the time. Not to mention her powers were going haywire, her empathy and telepathy had declined, she admitted that it felt like suddenly being wrapped in cotton wool, senses diminishing. While at the same time her premonition power seemed to be amped up, she saw things constantly, and had taken a break from driving until she got it under control.

"How's it going in here?" Alec asked, walking in. The usually impeccably dressed head of the Kalos family was now wearing gym shorts and a muscle tank, ready to do some training himself.

"Chris just kicked Lena's ass," Wyatt said cheerfully.

"Really?" Alec asked, a bit skeptical. He casually stepped up behind his daughter who was taking a swig from a bottle of water and quickly shot his arm out, aiming a punch for the side of her face. She dropped, the fist hitting nothing but air, as she turned and kicked him in the head. "Ow, Jesus!" Alec cried, putting a hand to his now-bleeding nose. Lena watched him carefully, before relaxing and tossing him the towel. "Nice reaction time, daughter," Alec said, gratefully accepting the towel and pushing it against his face. "Now what was this about Chris 'kicking Lena's ass'?" he asked.

"Wyatt was helping him," Lena said, keeping her eyes averted from Chris.

"Tattle-tale," Wyatt huffed.

"Alright Wyatt, if you're so eager to get in on the action, spar with me," Alec suggested, putting aside the bloody towel and making his way to the center of the room. Wyatt looked a bit cornered, wanting to refuse but unable to do so without compromising his pride.

Lena and Chris backed up against the far wall. "This should be interesting," Chris whispered. Lena simply nodded.

The fight was fast and brutal and ended with Wyatt facedown on the mats, curled in on himself with an impressive display of bruising forming on most of his exposed skin. Alec stepped over him to grab that towel, his nose having begun to spout blood again. "You really need to work on your reflexes Wyatt. If I were a demon you would be dead right now."

Wyatt never one to take defeat well, growled in his throat and orbed one of the wall mats onto his uncle, knocking the man over. "No, if you were a demon I would've pulverized you two minutes in. This 'training' is crap."

"Oh poor baby Wy-Wy got his ego bruised," Lena mocked as Chris TK'ed the mat back in place and her father pulled himself up off of the floor.

"Fine Lena, you and me, powers this time, we'll see who wins," Wyatt snarled.

Something flashed in Lena's eyes briefly before she responded, voice low and dangerous, "I really don't think so, Wyatt. Because I, unlike you, do not feel the constant need to show up everyone else." With that she stormed out of the room.

"What's up her ass?" Wyatt asked.

"That was pretty childish, Wyatt," Chris said.

Wyatt was slightly mollified by his brother's words. "Sorry Uncle Alec," he said, walking over to where his uncle was going through a set training routine.

"Forget about it Wyatt," Alec said as he practiced a few punches. "And I know I've been saying this for your whole life, but being physically capable is important. You never know when your powers are going to fail you, and you need to be ready for anything. Your power makes you arrogant, but you're not infallible."

"Yeah, yeah," Wyatt scoffed.

"Suit yourself. Just don't get anyone else killed with you," he shrugged. The unspoken 'especially my little girl' hung in the air between them and Chris and Wyatt both visibly stiffened, realizing they never spoke to their uncle about Lena's recent near-death experience. They hadn't thought of it, to be honest.

Alec was the real super-witch in the family. It drove Phoebe crazy, but her husband's family had once been the foremost magical users in the world. They were more than witches, they were warriors. They were the ones who defeated the humans-made-gods, they trapped the Titans in ice, and they were responsible for banishing the demons to the Underworld. It was a heavy list of accomplishments to carry, a burden to future generations who could no longer live up to that greatness.

Alec often told them of the 'Great War' what would be the precursor to the Apocalypse, when demons who outranked the Source in power, pervasiveness, and evil fought the Kalos witches, intent on exterminating them. They attacked the witches on their homeland, an isle in Greek protected by the magic of the water sprites. The battle raged long and hard, and in the end, when the witches realized they would be defeated, they asked the water sprites to ferry their children away to the far corners of the world, leaving the island and its remaining fighters vulnerable. Before their deaths, the final warriors of the Kalos family sealed the most powerful of the demons away. The victorious demons sought out the children, killing all they found, missing one family, leaving one line intact. That line eventually made their way to California and opened a vineyard. They were Alec's direct ancestors. The Kalos witches were blessed (or cursed depending on who you asked) with ancestral memory, allowing Alec to remember the Great War with stunning clarity, as if he had been there. Chris and Wyatt never asked, but they assumed Lena could as well. It must have been depressing for him to know about a life filled with teamwork and partners only to be born an only-child who, after his parents died, had only himself to rely on.

This all meant that Alec more than anyone understood the need to fight, the need to make magic a number-one priority and life, and plunge headlong into destiny in a way the Charmed Ones never could. He had grown up with his magic, it being a constant of his life forever, not something new that happened to him, not something separate. This made their uncle a natural supporter of their magical endeavors.

What they discounted and always had was the person their uncle was before they knew him, before he met Phoebe. He was so together, strong, kind, reasonable, but he had not always been. At seventeen years old, Alec had come home from school to find his parents dead on the floor of the parlor, the demon who murdered them standing over the bodies, radiating satisfaction and joy. He spared the young witch, leaving him to bury his parents and become consumed with rage over their deaths. According to teachers at Magic School and a few whitelighters who knew the story, Alec dropped out of high school and dedicated himself full-time to magic. A regular to be found in the Magic School library, he spent all of his time honing his powers, training his body, and searching for the demons responsible for the murders. Overwhelmed with grief and anger he became unrecognizable, the sweet young man they had grown to know completely overshadowed. He went out looking for trouble with no back-up, took unnecessary risks, and nearly got himself killed time after time as he searched for the demon responsible. When he finally did track him down, the resulting battle left him victorious and near-death.

Alec learned to control the rage, learned how to become part of society again once his vengeance had been exacted. Wyatt and Chris had only seen that side of him a few times, and all involved incidents where his loved ones were hurt or missing. They should have realized that what happened to Lena would upset Alec, they just never thought he would be angry with them.

Wyatt opened his mouth to speak but Chris jabbed him in the ribs. Now was not the time for heavy conversations or apologies, not with Alec's hands sizzling with magical flame and his whole being clearly concentrating on his training routine. It was a fool who interrupted Alec while he was that intent on something.

* * *

"You ever get the indication that Uncle Alec doesn't like me very much?" Wyatt asked. He and Chris were out in the courtyard of the vineyard, throwing athames at targets. Lena had not reappeared after she stormed off, so the brothers were alone.

"What would make you think that?" Chris asked, throwing an athame and then adjusting its direction with some subtle telekinesis. "Bullseye! Yes!"

"Don't do your crazy victory dance yet, I saw that you cheated," Wyatt pointed out.

"Dammit," Chris muttered as he made the athame float back to him.

"I just… it's always felt like there's some big secret that this family has, and most of the family has always been really wary of any decisions _you_ make, but I always feel like Uncle Alec has something against me, like I did something I don't know about and so he doesn't trust me."

"I haven't noticed that. I just think he thinks you're lazy," Chris shrugged, switching from athames to daggers.

"Nah it's more than that. And he hates it when I bring up how powerful I am."

"Maybe because you sound like an egocentric jerk when you say that?" Chris piped in. "Dude, Uncle Alec is so not jealous of your powers, man. He just wants you to be ready for anything. You know how he is – one slip and you're dead."

"And what was with the sparring today? He knew I would never volunteer to spar with him, but he basically forced me into it, just so he could prove what everybody already knew, that he's the better fighter magic notwithstanding."

The dagger Chris was throwing went sideways and hit the stone of the house with a loud _thunk_. "Maybe he's trying to humble you," Chris said, venom suddenly in his voice. He knew this was just what Wyatt was like, the way he thought things through, and even though he sounded egotistical and self-serving, it wasn't what he meant, and so he didn't understand the flash of anger he felt building inside of himself. "You go on and on about how great you are, but none of it is anything you accomplished for yourself, it's just something you were born with!"

"Chris – what the hell?! What's wrong with everybody today?!"

"Oh yeah, because the problem definitely isn't you! Not perfect special Wyatt."

"Okay you know what? Why don't you just call me when everyone is sane again," Wyatt growled, orbing out before his brother could respond.

* * *

Piper heard the sounds of mumbled grumbles and someone rummaging in the refrigerator before she walked in to find her oldest in the kitchen searching the fridge angrily.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

Startled, Wyatt's head crashed into the top of the refrigerator and he cursed as he slid backward from it and turned to look at his mom. "Just that everyone has an attitude problem today," Wyatt complained, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"And 'everybody' is…?" Piper questioned, sitting beside him.

"Lena, and Uncle Alec, and Chris."

"What'd they do?"

"Lena's being bitchy about everything lately. Uncle Alec humiliated me for the hell of it. And then Chris yelled at me for no reason. It's ridiculous."

"Well you know Lena's been having a hard time lately. Alec well… you'd have to fill me in more on that one. And Chris has exams coming up, he's stressed out."

"My dear uncle made me spar with him just to prove that he's better than I am."

"Ah, yeah well Alec would do that."

"What would Alec do?" Phoebe asked, walking into the kitchen and immediately digging to the plate of cookies that Wyatt had somehow missed when he orbed in.

"Show off by sparring with Wyatt," Piper said.

"Oh yeah, well you know honey, if you worked out more you could beat him eventually."

"Eventually?"

"Yeah, the man's a pro. He's been training since he was a kid. And let me tell you, I have absolutely no problems with him getting as physically fit as possible, there are benefits from that sort of thing you know," Phoebe winked.

"Oh ew," Wyatt scowled. "It's not like I'm some lazy-ass with a beer gut. I'm in shape. I'm a cop for crying for out loud!"

"I know sweetie, here have a cookie," Piper said a little too indulgently.

"This whole thing started because I gave Chris some advice when he was fighting with Lena."

"That's where you stepped over the line," Phoebe explained. "Number one rule in Alec's guide-to-being-kickass is you never distract or help someone when they're training. Because you know, out in 'the field' all you can rely on is you," she said, her voice deepening in an imitation of her husband's baritone as she said the last part.

"Yeah sure that's till he gives his 'importance of teamwork' speech. He contradicts himself all the time," Wyatt said, rolling his eyes.

"He just has everybody's best interests at heart," Phoebe said. "He's trying to help. I mean he can be an idiot at times, he went after those Brutes that hurt Lena by himself and all but--"

"Wait a minute! Uncle Alec found the Brute demons?"

"Yeah he did. He followed up on the information he got out of them but it was a bust. He figured whatever demon hired them for the job put a curse on them to prevent them from being physically able to talk about it, instead, if forced, they would all give the same bogus location."

"Why didn't he tell me and Chris? We were looking for those demons too!"

"Honestly? Probably because he didn't want you two to 'cramp his style' or see how he is when he's actively 'hunting.' Alec can be damn scary when he's on a mission. And even though he's worked with a coven for decades, he's still a lone wolf when it comes to a more personal threat."

"He should've told me, we all should've worked together, it would've been better like that."

"Doesn't matter now, does it? Like he said, the information he got led nowhere. Whoever's behind the new scheming in the Underworld is doing a good job of covering their tracks. You should watch out for yourself, Wyatt," Phoebe suggested.

"That demon's the one that needs to watch out," Wyatt scowled. "If he or it or whatever is trying to mess with me by going after Chris, and Lena, and all those other witches then they he has another thing coming."

"What makes you think he's after you?" Piper questioned.

"Not to sound egotistical, but how many times in the past twenty-five years was the bad guy _not_ after me?"

* * *

Sitting in the courtyard alone, back against the stone wall, Chris thought over his conversation with Wyatt. He didn't know why he reacted the way he had, he had just felt such overriding anger rising inside of him, the kind that was impossible to prevent from bursting. But where had it come from? He and Wyatt were getting along just fine, and even after the childish display in the gym he still hadn't felt that angry. Of course Wyatt's powers had always been a sore spot for Chris, but he usually kept the jealousy in check. Something felt different today, something inside of him felt wrong.

He turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps, legs sprawled out before him, and saw his Uncle ambling in his direction. Alec sat down beside him, legs crossed.

"Hey," Chris greeted, barely turning in his direction.

"Hi Chris. Look… about earlier with Wyatt…"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Chris shrugged. "Or to Wyatt for that matter, he was being a whiny bitch and you called him on it like you always do, that's just how it goes. Though you might want to clear one thing up, he thinks for some reason that you don't like him very much."

"Yeah… look Chris, there are some… things… I'm not always quite sure what to encourage in Wyatt. If him becoming stronger and more capable is a good thing, or if maybe it's better for everyone if he stays the way he is. There's a secret, I'm sure you and Wyatt have figured that out by now."

Chris laughed. "Yeah we've known that there was a secret for quite a while. We ever going to find out what it is?"

"Not if your mother and aunts have anything to say about it," Alec responded quietly. "And it's definitely not my place to fill either of you in on it."

"I don't get it, what could Wyatt and I have done that could've been so serious? And something we don't even remember?"

"It's not like that Chris… it's not anything that either of you did, it's more of what's been done _to you_, both of you."

"And because of that you're worried about Wyatt. But… wait… what did you mean about it being better for everyone is he doesn't become stronger? Are you… are you afraid Wyatt might go evil or something?" Chris said, the absurdity of the situation clear in his tone.

"You can never discount anything. And what's evil after all? I don't know about you, but to me that term's been becoming grayer and grayer over time. I know what true evil felt like, I remember it, I remember the way the air changed just before it approached. But the demons we face today, they're not like that. Most look human, sound human, even have feelings like humans. You hunt demons down, track them back to their homes and slaughter them. You capture them and torture them. And to us, that's alright, that's fine, that's how it is. Demons would do the same to us, and to them that's okay. But when they hurt you, your family, your innocent, the tables turn, they're barbaric, they're evil for doing the same thing to you that you would have just as easily done to them. But really, what's the difference between us then?

"'Cause nowadays evil is standing by and doing nothing to save someone, evil is crossing the invisible line just a little bit. I've been on both sides, I've done things I'm not proud of, hurt people, would've killed a couple if I had the chance. You should know that, you remember what I did to your friend Jeff's father. I would have murdered him outright if you hadn't stopped me. And he was just a man, not a demon or a witch or anything, just a mean, mean man. So what does that make me? Is it really that hard to see Wyatt stepping over that line? Can you think of nothing that would drive him to it?"

Chris said nothing for a moment, remembering what Wyatt had been like when he tortured the Brute demons in the attic, remembered the unidentifiable expression on his face, the complete and utter rage he had seen there. And that was from an attack where everyone escaped alive. What could he become if someone actually died – if Chris, Lena or their mom were killed? What would that turn Wyatt into, what terrible things could come from someone with that much power going off the rails?

"Love and hate walk parallel streets," Alec sighed when no answer seemed forthcoming from Chris. "Love can make us do wonderful, beautiful things, and it can also make us do awful, terrible things."

Chris thought of Alec, gripping Jeff's father by the lapels, shaking him, screaming at him, punching him over and over, and that horrible emotion that had roiled off of him in waves, more painful and terrifying than the physical injuries Chris had suffered.

"Lena always says that Wyatt's sensitive…" Chris said quietly. "That we have to take special care of him because someone sensitive like that… they can lose it easily, they can get out of control. And that's what you're torn by – the fact that if he went off the deep end there wouldn't be anyone strong enough to reel him in, to stop him."

"Every other witch has a peer with the ability to take them down if need be. But with Wyatt… I want to encourage him, I want to watch him become as powerful as he can be, so that he can fight, so he can champion over evil and protect the people he loves. But I know what could happen if he's pushed over the edge, and if he ever loses it without having someone there able to keep him in check, I can only imagine what chaos that could cause."

"Yeah you're right. This all puts you in a pretty difficult position, doesn't it?" Chris asked. "Having to be the one witch in the family without blood ties to Wyatt, the only one who can objectively see that his powers are as much a threat as a gift." Alec shrugged.

"I did watch the kid grow up, I love him just as much as I do you and Lena. You boys have spent a good portion of your lives in my house; that makes it pretty difficult to see anything 'objectively'."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Chris asked.

"I may not be psychic, but I know when something big is brewing. The demonic world is beginning to recognize you, Wyatt, and Lena as the new power of three, and with the recent coven attacks – which Lena's knowledge of their meeting places I definitely do not find a coincidence – I can only assume that they are cooking up something big for you kids." Alec stood, dusting his pants off. "Also, I didn't want you to think I was picking on him today, I just think it's prudent to keep his ego in check, which is exactly why I'm not explaining this to him," Alec laughed. He began to walk away but stopped and turned. "Oh and Chris, I meant what I said, that I love you boys and Lena the same. I don't blame you for what happened to her and I'm not angry with you. Injuries, death, they're all a part of this life. And maybe I should've gotten her out of it when I had the chance, but I made the decision to raise her as a witch, and there are just certain things that come along with it I have to accept. But let me just say that I really don't want it to happen again, okay?"

"Got it," Chris smiled.

* * *

Chris wandered back into the training room some time later, following the sounds of bodies clashing. He pushed the door open slowly and watched with mild fascination as Lena and her father made their way across the room, legs and arms flying but never landing any solid hits on each other. They seemed to be in perfect choreography with one another, Alec's leg shooting up, Lena dropping, Lena's legs swooping out and Alec jumping.

Lena was in top form, much better than she had been when she fought Chris earlier. And that thought made his stomach drop, the fact that Lena was being herself in front of her father, that she wasn't trying too hard to keep a wall up to focus on what she was doing like she had been with Chris. For her whole life she had come to him with everything, every problem, every tear. When her week-long stint in the Underworld left her spiraling into mania for three months, _he _had been the one she told what happened to, when she felt like she couldn't trust anyone else she came to Chris, and he was content in the idea that things would always be like that.

Yet now something had changed that. She was hiding something from him and the thought made him ill.

Not wanting to disturb them, Chris left, shutting the door quietly behind him, though he was sure that neither of them even noticed his entrance, so engaged in combat.

* * *

"Give?" Lena asked, crouched on top of her father, holding him down to the floor. Hot sweat slid down her back, her tank top sticking to her body uncomfortably. Alec smiled from below her, and then twisted his body and flipped so that he was pinning her now.

"Tie?" Alec asked.

Lena laughed and nodded as he stood and helped her to her feet. She wiped her face down and then caught him watching her intently.

"Something on your mind, kid?" he asked.

"Always is," Lena sighed. "I've been having some weird dreams lately."

"Weird as in 'the monitors recorded a psychic incident weird' or 'naked in class weird'?"

"The readings spiked, so I guess I'll go with the former on that one. Thing is, they're not making much sense, none of my 'premonitions' have lately. It's driving me crazy."

"Have you been able to glean anything at all from them?"

When she turned to him he saw that her eyes appeared slightly glazed and clouded over. "Not much but I know something's coming, of course everybody figured that out already without any psychic power. The funny thing is everybody always thinks it's going to be about Wyatt, because it's always been about Wyatt. But I just know that what happens this time is going to be all about Chris."

* * *

**A/N: So this was sort of a filler chapter, but we'll be jumping ahead in time shortly and getting to the scene in the teaser, so things will indeed be happening!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**I would love to know what you thought, please review!**

**-Ada**


	12. And Then There Were Two

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 12: And Then There Were Two…

* * *

A formless black shadow slid through the barrier between the world where the witches and mortals dwelled and into the underworld where the demons were forced to remain. Dakian waited to receive it, watching as it approached. For a moment it retained the form it took in the outside world, a young woman's shape that it possessed in order to collect information, but then it was shapeless and undulating again, and it floated up beside Dakian's head, recounting all that it had seen and heard. Dakian's eyes widened at its words.

"She knows Chris is the target?" The shadow responded in the affirmative and Dakian already found himself mentally seeking out the priestess Shanqil who shimmered in at his behest.

Dakian filled her in on what he heard and she furrowed her eyebrows. "You knew this was a possibility," she pointed out. "The dust you had poured over her, the dark magic I used, they could not repress her powers of empathy or sensing without encouraging a different power. It appears her power of precognition has been altered, the evolution of strength that would naturally have occurred has been sped up in place of the powers you had smothered."

"I know that. Is there any way to stop her premonitions?"

"Not without undoing what we have already done. The dust and the magic worked to prevent her from being able to sense the growing darkness in her cousin. We knew she was a threat from the start, perhaps now it is time to remove her permanently."

"No, we do not want to overplay our hand. Killing a Halliwell now would only result in them coming down around us before we are ready. We need to find a way to push her out of the family, distance her from them and decrease her exposure to Christopher."

"Seeds of doubt about the girl's safety have already been planted in her mother's mind. We could cast a spell of influence over her, persuade her to send the girl away for her own good. It is not a perfect solution, but I see no other alternative to killing her."

"Get to work on that. Christopher is changing, the injection is working, and soon we will be able to bring him down here and complete the arrangements."

* * *

"Goddammit I said leave me alone!" Chris' voice reverberated off of the walls of the Manor closely followed by the slamming of a door. Phoebe winced, closing the front door behind her. She watched as Wyatt stormed down the stairs, muttering obscenities under his breath.

"Hey Aunt Pheebs," he managed to say pleasantly as he headed for the door himself.

"Hey Wy, is your mom home?" Phoebe asked before he could escape.

"Yeah she's in the kitchen. Whatever you do, don't try and say 'hello' to Chris, he's PMSing," Wyatt growled before leaving the Manor, the door slamming behind him.

"Wow, slamming doors in their twenties, good to see the boys are maturing," Phoebe quipped as she leaned on the island in the kitchen where Piper was leaning over a pot on the stove.

"Chris is just stressed – finals are rough this semester, and Wyatt's being a big old baby," Piper responded. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Stanford, UCLA, or NYU?" Phoebe said.

"What now?" Piper questioned, looking up at her younger sister.

"I'm sending Lena away to school. Alec and I know people who can get her in to any of those three, I'm just wondering which would be best for her."

"You're sending Lena away? Why?"

"She can't stay in San Francisco, Piper. Magic distracts her you know, she skips class regularly, never does her homework, she could very well flunk out soon. She spends all of her time up in the attic or in the Vault. It's not healthy, and sooner or later she's going to get herself killed, so I need to get her away from all of this. So pick – Stanford, UCLA, or NYU?"

"You're really serious about this?" Piper questioned. "You really think if you send Lena away she won't be hunting demons anymore? It's more than likely that she'll just get herself into worse trouble."

"Lena's not stupid. She's learned her lesson when it comes to running headlong into situations she's not prepared for. Besides, for the first time in her life she will be forced to live with and interact with people who are normal, who will find something odd about potions in the kitchen and spells in the living room. Besides which, I'm going to get your boys to promise not to go there and help her get herself into trouble. Now pick a college."

"Fine, Stanford. Good reputation, and it's less than an hour away, so if she does happen to get herself into some trouble, she can get back here quicker than if she was across the country. Besides which, I wouldn't trust the daughter of Phoebe in LA, and New York is just too cold for Lena, she likes the sun too much to live there."

"OK, Stanford it is. I'll tell her tonight, that should go real well."

* * *

"Lena, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," Alec said quietly. Lena and her parents were sitting in the drawing room, a letter from the admissions office of Stanford University on the table in front of them.

"You're sending me away…" she whispered, looking up at her mother with shining eyes. "You're sending me away."

"It's not very far… Stanford's only what – 45 minutes from San Francisco?" Phoebe pointed out.

"Distance isn't the point, the point is that you don't want me here."

"No, the point is that I want you safe, I want you to have a life. Lena you are 20 years old, you need more than what you have now. You focus on nothing besides magic, all of your friends are witches, you only work at your Aunt's club, you spend all of your time going through books and making potions and fighting demons, but baby you need something else."

"Why?!"

"Because someday you're gonna wake up and you're going to realize that magic has taken over your life, and you're going to hate it, but there won't be any way out for you, you'll be trapped. I just want you to have something else, even if it's just something to fall back on. This way you'll get a degree, you'll make some friends, you'll have a shot at something different. You'll stay alive longer this way."

Lena opened her mouth to respond and then shut it again, staring down at the letter. Phoebe felt the uncertainty, anger, and resignation pouring off of Lena. "But… my grades… I mean I'm not good enough to get into Stanford," she protested.

"Yes, they did have some concerns about that. But the admissions people spoke to some of your high school teachers, found out how you really are smart but just haven't applied yourself. They're letting you in with the stipulation that you have to take their summer program courses to bring your grades up."

"So what – I'd have to leave next month?" she asked, stunned.

"Yeah, but trust me, it won't be so bad." She approached her, stroking the girl's hair and back. "You don't have to decide right now, think about it baby. And remember, I'm not doing this because I want to get rid of you, I'm doing this because it's the best thing for you – you'll realize that eventually."

"Lena… you don't have to," Alec said after Phoebe left the room.

"No, I do, I will, I'll go… I'll go to Stanford."

"Why?" he asked.

"I just… I'll do this one last thing for her, and then no more. After I graduate my life is going to be mine, for real this time, I swear." She wiped the stray tears that had slipped from her eyes and then turned towards the door. "I better go call the registrar, set up my courses for the summer… don't want to be stuck with bad ones…"

* * *

The demon Shanqil listened as the shadow servant relayed Phoebe's decision and the following discussion to her. She smiled, knowing that the magical persuasion she had used on Phoebe – connected to the woman's own fears – had worked just as planned. Soon the youngest of the three would be conveniently out of the way, and if the next part of her plan worked, completely unable to help her cousin at all.

* * *

May 2027

Lena climbed out of the tent, huddling for warmth beneath Chris' too-big sweatshirt. "I am freezing!" she announced as she sat down in her pink fold-up chair. "Why exactly aren't we vacationing in some fancy beachfront hotel?" she asked.

It was the last weekend in May, Lena and Chris' semesters had ended, and Lena would be beginning her summer terms at Stanford in another week, so they and Wyatt departed for their annual overnight trip, just the three of them. They were used to taking impromptu vacations every now and then when they were recovering from difficult battles or particularly stressed and in need of some relaxation, in need of getting away from their families and friends and just reconnecting as brothers and cousins.

"You're spoiled," Chris smiled. "We're in the great outdoors, city girl, get used to it!" he declared, striking matches and tossing them into the fire ring. They failed to light the pieces of wood, and he swore slightly.

"Hey, I like the great outdoors as much as any other girl, and I'm not even opposed to camping! That RV my dad rented a few years ago was awesome, but this?!"

"Funny, she didn't complain this much when we got lost in an anti-orbing section of the Underworld for three days," Wyatt sighed to Chris, who smiled back at him and the memory of that. When they finally wandered out of the anti-orb part after vanquishing a good number of demons, they returned home to be welcomed with hugs and tears, and then were promptly grounded for weeks. Piper swore most of her white hair appeared during those days.

"That's because that was demon hunting, this is just stupid. If I could orb, I would be home already," she sighed.

"You just like bitching," Chris muttered.

Lena glared at the dark pile of wood as Chris struck another match and lowered it into the ring. Sighing, she flicked her finger, and controlled the match's fire, making it finally catch. Chris let out a low exultation of triumph. "All right, the fire is burning, the lake is empty, and it's just us, nature, and whatever supernatural beings there may be in between. So, what now?"

Lena kneeled in front of the fire, palms outstretched. She called the flames to her, allowing them to dance on her fingertips and warm her hands. "Well Chris, I think it's time for a heart-to-heart," she said with mock seriousness. "Let's talk about our feelings."

"No way."

"I want to, and Wyatt wants to, so you're outvoted."

"Since when are the Halliwells a democracy?"

"Oh hush, Chris," Lena said. "Now why don't you tell your bro and I about your dreams," she said wistfully, sitting back down in her ridiculous pink chair next to Chris, a ball of fire playfully bobbing in between her hands.

"If we're going to do this, then Wyatt should go first," Chris laughed, drawing the attention of his older brother who had seemed to be mulling something over.

"Okay… Well, I want to be rich and famous and revered and…" Wyatt stopped, chuckling at what he considered a pretty good joke. Then he turned serious. The trio liked to joke around and seemed always at odds with each other, but they shared things together they never would with anyone else. In their eyes, it's what made them good candidates to be the Charmed Ones, they had a closeness that few brothers or cousins ever achieve. They were a team. "I like my job, obviously. It would be cool to get promoted. And I've been thinking about marriage lately. No kids yet, just a wife."

"You just turned twenty-five, what could you possibly want with a wife?" Chris asked.

"I like the idea of a long-lasting committed relationship."

"If you weren't my cousin, I'd be in love with you by now," Lena smiled. "Okay Chris, your turn."

"I would like to graduate college eventually, this med school after four years of school thing sucks. Maybe get a hot girlfriend, a hot car, and a good job. I want to help people, you know? Save patients, and then keep saving innocents and doing things other people can't. And maybe someday the over-50 Charmed crowd will want to retire and pass down the mantle to us youngsters." He and Wyatt turned to their cousin expectantly, their matching grins reading 'your turn'.

"Uh… well… I don't know," Lena sighed. "I guess I was hoping you two would just be confused too," she laughed nervously. It was a queer sound coming from their usually confident cousin. "I guess I'd like to find… I don't know… my place in life or something."

"Miss-All-the-Answers is unsure?" Wyatt asked.

"Well I'm going to college, I mean I don't even really want to but my mom…" she paused. "Demon hunting," she finally decided. "I'd like to keep demon hunting I guess, you know, help other witches and innocents and whatnot."

"Demon hunting? That's your only dream?" Chris snickered. "You my cousin, need a life!" he declared.

She opened her mouth to respond, but any words were cut off as she gasped and her eyes snapped shut, tell-tale signs of an oncoming premonition.

"Lena?" Chris asked, leaning across her chair to grab her arm. "What did you see?"

She put her face up against Chris' ear and whispered, "Wyatt's going to orb you into the lake as soon as you fall asleep."

"THAT was your premonition?" Chris asked uncertainly, keeping his voice low as he noticed Wyatt leaning towards them.

"Lately all of my premonitions have been about stupid little things. I had a vision of my mom tripping over a shoe last week, it's really getting ridiculous."

"Well did the shoe-tripping vision help at all?"

"It kept my mom from a broken nose, but I think that's about all. So I'm thinking I should set up my own little shop – Lena Halliwell-Kalos, Psychic. Do some palm readings, tea leaves, chicken entrails, you know, the usual."

"Your empathy and telepathy still off?" Wyatt asked, having caught the second part of the conversation and not the contents of Lena's premonition.

"Yeah… it's weird, sometimes I can't turn my telepathy off, I can hear everything, and then other times it's like I don't have it at all, and it coincides with when my premonitions got stronger, almost like when one power slipped the other filled in for it. But whatever, now's not the time to discuss this stuff."

Chris stared at her for a moment longer, a plan forming in his mind.

* * *

Chris closed his eyes, feigning sleep as he lay with his back to Wyatt. He could hear Wyatt's fake snoring, and stayed completely silent. A minute later he felt the tell-tale signs of his molecules coming apart into orbs, but a second later they coalesced again, and Wyatt swore under his breath. Chris smiled, glad that his anti-orb spell worked, and then chuckled softly as

he thought that maybe Lena's non-consequential premonitions weren't so ridiculous after all.

* * *

"Come on Wyatt, one last trip before Lena leaves, it'll be fun!" Chris said, chasing Wyatt down the stairs of the Manor house.

"You want to go to Las Vegas?" Wyatt said with surprise. "Why exactly?"

"Because you know… Vegas… Vegas is fun, let's do it!"

"Who are you and where is my brother?" Wyatt asked with a chuckle. "You've never made such a big deal about wanting to go to Vegas before."

"Yeah but that was before my checking account plummeted and Aunt Paige decided I was too old for handouts."

"And you think you'll win big in Las Vegas?"

"Dude, of course. We'll bring Lena, and we'll totally score a fortune."

"Lena? How does she fit into this?" he asked.

"You heard her at the lake, her premonitions are on overdrive, she can't control her telepathy, that's perfect for gambling!" Chris pointed out.

"That sounds like personal gain to me…"

"Not if she's not doing it on purpose. It's not personal gain to act on something we happen to know by no devious means."

"What is up with you lately? One minute you're all dark and broody and sullen, and then the next you're crazy reckless, is this like you're quarter-life-crisis or something?"

"There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just trying to live a little. And if you don't want to go then I'll just go without you…"

Wyatt sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'm in."

* * *

Las Vegas

They had been on a series of winning streaks since orbing into the casino. Lena's faulty powers provided them with the thoughts of poker players, the tricks to the craps table, winning hands of black jack, and a couple of good runs on the slot machines. However as the night went on and the chips were turned in for cash, Chris became more and more reckless, irritating and mocking the other players, bragging about his winnings and making Lena worried about either a barfight or them being kicked out of the casino for running a scam. Wyatt eventually wandered off to have a drink and steal glances at some girls near the bar, and Lena warily followed Chris towards a corner of the casino where some men Chris had been taunting earlier were standing around.

* * *

Chris felt his knuckles strike the man's face again and again, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he had to stop himself, he had to let up before he killed him, but somehow he just could not bring himself to end it. He didn't even really remember how it all started, but he felt as if he had lost control of himself. His blood pounded loudly in his ears and anger overwhelmed him and he struck the man again.

"Chris, stop!" Lena screamed, attempting to drag Chris off of him. Her cousin rounded on her, a foreign look in his eyes as he pulled back his fist to strike her, to prevent her from interrupting his fight. Lena's expression went cold as she dodged the fist and struck out herself. Chris caught her fist and landed a blow to her cheek. She freed her right hand and kicked him in the stomach, hard. Winded, Chris went down, and Lena followed him, leaping on to her cousin and pinning him to the ground, her hands emitting an unnatural heat where they gripped his wrists. "Chris snap out of it!" Lena shouted. She heard security approaching from behind, ready to throw them all out, and only hoped Chris would regain his senses before they got there. She had no problems with being tossed out, as far as she was concerned, the partying ended with the first punch Chris threw that night. Her cheek throbbed where he hit her, and she knew it would be a large, unbecoming bruise in the morning.

Chris caught his breath and as he turned his gaze to her, his eyes cleared, looking more like himself. "Lena, what the hell?" he said, gesturing to how she was straddling and subduing him.

"Party's over," she said, climbing off of him and putting her hand up to the security guards. "You don't want to call the cops," she intoned, using her telepathy to convince them that letting her and Chris walk out of there was the best thing to do. They cocked their heads at her, eyes dulling. "We can escort ourselves out." She glanced over her shoulder. "Come on, Chris." Her cousin dutifully pushed through the crowd and followed her out of the bar, the stunned partiers staring after them in surprise, the man Chris fought withl lying on the floor, eyes blinking owlishly as the bruises on his face swelled.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Wyatt asked cheerfully as he saw Lena walking towards him across the casino, skirting around a black-jack table, Chris. His smile fell as he noticed the angry expression on Lena's face, the rip in her dress, and the bruising on Chris' face.

"We're going home," Lena said.

"But we were…" he trailed off as she glared at him. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later," she promised. "But right now we need to get going before someone calls the Las Vegas Police Department and gives them our description."

"Okay," Wyatt said quickly, realizing the gravity of the situation, he turned and led the way towards an exit. Once safely in a deserted alley, Wyatt orbed them all back to the Kalos Vineyard.

* * *

"Chris, what the hell happened back there?!" Wyatt demanded as they orbed into Chris' bedroom.

"I… I don't really know…" Chris whispered fearfully, examining his bruised knuckles, the blood having been washed off before they left the vineyard. "I just… I felt so powerful you know… I kept throwing my weight around and acting careless… but it felt so right and I didn't… God Wyatt… I hit Lena…" he stared at Wyatt with shining eyes. "What the hell is wrong with me?!"

"I don't know, little brother… but we're going to figure it out, okay?"

"She's going to Stanford tomorrow with a bruise on her face you know," Chris scowled. "Great first impression she's going to make." He rubbed at the bandages wrapped around the burns on his wrists. It was unfortunate, but their powers were tied to each other so much so that if they meant to harm one another then the wound was nearly impossible to heal.

"She'll do fine. She can always glamour over it if she wants to," he pointed out. "Besides which, starting tomorrow we're downsized from a trio to a pair, and we have plenty of work to do."

"Is that your new way of saying 'go to sleep, everything will be better in the morning'?" Chris asked.

"I guess so. Good night Chris," Wyatt said.

"G'night Wy," Chris sighed. Wyatt orbed out of the room and Chris rested his head in his hands, worried about what could be happening to him.

* * *

"Okay, I'm ready, let's get going," Lena said, tossing a pillow into the trunk of her Mustang. Alec closed the doors on his SUV, most of Lena's belongings tucked away safely in the backseat, including the bag filled with spells and potion materials that Lena snuck past Phoebe. Wyatt and Chris had dropped by earlier to say goodbye, and had made reluctant promises to Phoebe to not drop by Stanford unannounced or involve Lena in anything witch-related for the time being.

"Just one more thing, baby," Phoebe said, approaching her daughter. She took Lena's hands in hers.

"What?"

"I want you to promise me that you won't be coming back to San Francisco except on school breaks, no orbing in or driving down, you'll stay in Palo Alto for the duration of the semester."

"Seriously? That's ridiculous, it's not even an hour away!"

"Lena… please… just promise me."

"Fine, I promise not to come back to San Fran outside of break," Lena responded. As she finished her statement she felt a jolt go through her and her mother's hands. Phoebe smiled and released her, walking over to the SUV and leaving a confused Lena standing by the Mustang.

* * *

**I would love to know what you thought.**

**-Ada**


	13. Issues

A/N: First off, thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. Secondly, I've realized how slow this story seems to be moving, and it's getting on my nerves too, so here's the deal, I'm going to speed it up a bit, and use separate one-shots to fill in some of the blanks of what everyone's been up to in the meantime – not for the major scenes, but things that will be important in later stories. How's that?

* * *

**Repercussions**

_By: Ada C. Eliana_

Chapter 13: Issues

* * *

June 2021

Leila Jackson, the hot barista from the café on campus was slowly unbuttoning her shirt, smiling coyly at Chris all the while. She started at the bottom, and with each button revealed another slice of perfect milky white skin. Chris was waiting impatiently as her fingers clasped around the next button, it came undone and he caught sight of a black lacy bra. She pushed a lock of blonde hair out of her face and smiled again as she moved up to the last button.

"I wait hours for you to fall asleep and I walk in on this? Thank God you like your foreplay nice and slow, I have no idea what I would do if you were already in the good part of your wet dream Christopher." Chris whipped his head around at the voice and saw Lena levitating cross-legged behind him. He groaned, it was a dream then. He turned back around but Leila Jackson was already gone.

"Do you always have to do that?" he sighed.

"Interrupt your dreams during the 'good parts' or just interrupt them in general?" Lena asked, idly picking at her cuticles. Her clothes switched from pajamas into slacks and a blouse as he watched.

When they were much younger Lena had begun to accidentally 'dreamwalk' into Chris' mind when she had a nightmare. Occasionally his own bad dreams would draw her into his mind, seeking out a comforting presence. As she became a stronger telepath she learned to control her powers, and be able to project herself in other people's dreams, becoming an artist inside their minds and controlling the images and sounds.

"Both. So uh… how's it going?" he asked. Lena stared at him critically, especially the part where he was only partially dressed. She blinked and he was in jeans and a T-shirt.

"It's going okay, I suppose. But really… there's a reason why I've always limited my contact with ordinary people."

"Because they're ordinary?" Chris asked.

"Pretty much." She looked around Chris' dreamscape. His dream liaison with Leila had taken place in what appeared to be a cheap hotel room. Shaking her head in distaste she flipped it to a sunny hill. She slid to the ground and sprawled out in the grass switching her clothes to denim cut-offs and a tank top. Chris laid down next to her, shielding his eyes from the sun overhead.

"I had a premonition in class yesterday," Lena informed him.

"What was it about?" Chris asked with some concern. He knew that psychics could never really separate themselves from the world of magic, if only because they were always at the will of whatever power showed them hideous images from the future.

"Doesn't matter, I took care of it."

"You're not supposed to be 'hunting' alone, you know," Chris pointed out.

"It was no big deal. Tyler was there to hold my hand the whole time, I promise. Besides, someone had to take care of the problem, and you and Wyatt haven't been answering your cell phones lately."

"You have other ways of contacting us if you really needed us."

"Obviously."

She stared out into the sky for a moment before sitting up and staring hard at Chris. "The thing is, the way you guys don't answer your phones and won't visit, it makes Stanford feel more like _this._" The landscape morphed into a prison cell with a closed door. "And this reminds me too much of _this._" The scene flipped to a dark dungeon in the Underworld. "And you more than anyone know how much I hated being here."

"It's not that bad. Just stop thinking of it as being trapped. Think of it as being free from your obligations and your family and stuff."

"Except I sort of like all of that, and Stanford is an obligation that somehow took away all of my freedoms." She shook her head and the dreamscape changed to their favorite perch on the Golden Gate Bridge. "Plus, I have this sinking feeling, like something really terrible is about to happen in San Francisco but I won't be able to do anything about it. So tell me Chris, are you keeping something from me?"

"Fact is Lena, there's some stuff that Wyatt and I are dealing with right now, but we have it under control."

"Like you had things under control in that casino?"

"I slipped, Lena, okay, I was just having a little too much fun, you know how it goes."

"I would be more inclined to believe you if you had 'slipped' at some point in the past. Come on Chris, what's really going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Wyatt and I are on top of things," he said, aggravated at having this conversation in his sleep, annoyed that Phoebe had created a break between him, his brother, and Lena, and somewhat mystified as to how that rule had seemed to enforce itself. He was trying to figure out what was wrong, and it was wearing him down.

"Yeah but I could help—"

Maybe Chris did not entirely agree with Phoebe sending Lena away to college with a 'no demon hunting' stipulation, but he did admit to feeling a bit guilty about having helped caused a situation so serious that Phoebe felt the need to resort to drastic measures to rectify it. After all, he, and Wyatt (his brother would not remain blameless in this situation) had dragged their much younger cousin along into dangerous situations again and again. Chris had been with Lena when they were attacked by the brute demons and separated, when they had done something to her that made her sick. At twenty, Lena was still a kid, and as the older cousin it was his responsibility to make sure she was safe. He had dropped the ball and now they all had to pay for it. But better to pay for it like this – college and an hour's drive, second's orb away – than to end up having a funeral.

"Lena, we don't need you." Chris winced after the words left his mouth and felt Lena stiffen beside him. "Look… that didn't come out right," Chris said, turning to her. Her mouth was set in a thin line, but her expression was blank, it was her 'game face' that did not betray her emotions.

"It came out fine. I should get back, you might be sleeping but I'm not. I have class tomorrow morning," she ground out impassively. She paused and then said, "Where do you want the blonde?"

"What?"

In a flash Lena was gone and Chris found himself in a swanky hotel suite, Leila Jackson kneeling on the bed, unbuttoning her shirt.

* * *

Lena was slumped in the back of the classroom listening with little interest to a rather bland professor drone on about economic theory. She tapped her pen against her blank notebook as she thought about the conversation she had when she visited Chris' dream the night before. Something was definitely wrong. Not only was Chris unnecessarily evasive, but she had been at Stanford for a month and received no phone calls or visits from Wyatt or Chris, and they never answered when she called them. Promise to her mother or not, there was no way she was going to just sit in Palo Alto doing nothing anymore; she would go to San Francisco, and either help solve whatever problems they were facing, or at least find there were no problems and alleviate her fears.

Standing up and paying no heed to the glances from her fellow students and the professor, Lena grabbed her bag and stormed out. _This is all bullshit anyway_, she thought.

* * *

The wind blew through her dark locks as her convertible raced down the highway, and with each mile marker closer to San Francisco, Lena felt her heart constrict a bit, as if something were trying to prevent her from reaching the city. She could see the skyscrapers in the distance when the Mustang suddenly stalled and came to a dead stop. "What the hell?" Lena whispered, turning the key in the ignition. The engine refused to turn over. Frustrated, Lena looked up and saw that her car had died just in front of the "Welcome to San Francisco" sign.

A sense of foreboding washed over her and she climbed out of the car, approaching the sign. She held her hands out in front of herself and took cautious steps towards the city line. Just as she was about to cross into San Francisco her hands suddenly met resistance. She stared at them in horror, pushing against the air. It was as if a transparent barrier had been erected around San Francisco. Angrily, she backed up and ran at it. For a moment she thought she would make it past the sign, but then her body felt as if it slammed against a wall, and she fell backward onto the side of the road.

She stepped up to the barrier and placed her hands on it.

_"I want you to promise me that you won't be coming back to San Francisco except on school breaks, no orbing in or driving down, you'll stay in Palo Alto for the duration of the semester."_

_"Lena… please… just promise me."_

_"Fine, I promise not to come back to San Fran outside of break."_

"NO!" she screamed as she began hitting the barrier with her fists. "You can't do this to me!" She slammed against it again and then turned, leaning her back against the barrier. "TYLER!"

It took a moment before her whitelighter appeared. "Hey Lena, what's going on?" he asked.

"This is!" she shouted, punching the barrier.

"Holy shit, what the hell is that?" Tyler asked.

"It's my mother is what it is. She performed an Oath Spell on me without telling me."

"She what?"

"She made me promise not to come home during the school semester, and I did, but now when I decided to break my promise, I can't get into the city limits."

"That's a hell of a spell. Any ideas why she's suddenly so desperate to get you away from the family?" Tyler asked, confused. Phoebe had been a bit irrational when it came to her daughter in the past, but nothing this extreme.

"The demons, the injury, Chris, all of it, everything has to be connected, Tyler. They're pushing our buttons, making us do what they want us to do. And for some reason they want me out of San Francisco, away from my family. We have to figure this out before something terrible happens."

* * *

"So how're the mood swings?" Wyatt asked, leaning back on Chris' desk chair. He surveyed the room, the upturned desk and scattered papers and then raised an eyebrow at his younger brother.

"Jeez Wyatt, everyone's allowed a good temper tantrum every now and then, right?" Chris huffed.

"And that's what this was?" Wyatt asked, gesturing to the wall where Chris' pens had all been imbedded in the drywall. "What set it off this time?"

"None of your business," Chris muttered, rising from the bed and heading for the door.

"Chris, stop! You have got to realize how serious this is! I mean what happened – your pen ran out of ink so you tried to dismantle your bedroom?"

Chris paused in the doorway, one hand against the doorframe and the other clenching and unclenching against his thigh. "Just drop it, Wyatt," he said tightly.

"No, no I won't drop it," Wyatt said petulantly, walking towards his brother. "You're all over the place lately, man. And I would just assume this was some little-brother PMS but this has gone on for too long."

"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth.

"No I don't think you are."

"What the hell do you know anyway?!" Chris said furiously, turning and throwing Wyatt with his mind. Wyatt's back hit the wall just beside the pens and pencils and Chris held him there. Wyatt relaxed in his brother's hold, keeping his own anger at bay, knowing that fighting with him would only incense Chris more.

"This is 'fine'?" Wyatt asked, nodding down at his body that Chris held in his telekinetic grip. Chris released his grip on Wyatt and his feet hit the floor.

"I'm just a little stressed out, okay?" Chris said tightly.

"From what? Your semester's over, you're working at mom's restaurant three nights a week, what could possibly be stressing you out this badly? Did something happen? Something I don't know about?"

"God Wyatt just mind your own damn business."

"Well sorry but you _are_ my business. You're my little brother after all."

"Stop acting like I'm some kid, Wyatt. I'm twenty-two years old, I'm more than capable of looking after myself."

"You've been doing a great job of that lately," Wyatt responded sarcastically.

"You ass, you pompous ass. You just think you're so much better than me, don't you? Wyatt the special one, the powerful one. Well you know what Wyatt, you may have a high opinion of yourself, but not everyone shares it. Uncle Alec is worried you're going to go rogue, and Lena keeps going on and on about how 'sensitive' you are, how we all need to be extra careful to not set you off because you could so easily turn and kill everyone."

Wyatt just stared, unsure of how to respond to that. Chris smiled triumphantly and stalked out of the room.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah I know, too much Lena in this chapter, but man I had to find a way around her powers. Writing Charmed fanfic is tricky, the more powerful the characters the more creative the situations have to be to keep them stumped. So yeah, no empaths can be around Chris right now. Foreshadowing? I think so!

I'd love to know what you thought!

Ada


	14. Secrets and Frustration

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but here's the next installment!

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 14: Secrets and Frustration

* * *

Throughout July, Wyatt tried to keep an eye on his brother from afar. He didn't quite understand what was going on with Chris, but he did know that whenever he came near him, his brother would push him away even harder. It was driving him crazy. He tried to trace back the events of the past year, tried to pinpoint when all of this started. But everything had been so normal. Well, normal for them anyway. This sitting around and thinking was really not Wyatt's greatest strength. He preferred when others did all of the legwork and just told him where to aim.

Piper equated the tension to growing pains. She suggested that maybe Wyatt was smothering his brother. But after twenty-some years of spending nearly every minute together Wyatt couldn't quite figure out why Chris would suddenly want space from him.

All of this just ended in Wyatt sitting glumly in the living room by himself, wondering if he should just go hunting alone to blow off some steam.

"Why, somebody's grumpy today," Phoebe laughed as she entered the house. "I could sense your irritation from the street."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Wyatt sighed. "I'm bored."

"You're young, baby, go out and pick up chicks or whatever you boys do these days."

"I already have a 'chick,' but she's balancing school and work and is too busy to hang out with me. And if you hadn't noticed, my list of friends is very short."

"You have plenty of friends, Wy. And just so you know, moping about your brother isn't going to make him want to play with you."

"Couldn't _you_ talk to him? Please Aunt Phoebe, pretty please?" Wyatt whined.

"And by talk, you mean read his emotions and possibly his mind to tell you what's bothering him?"

Wyatt nodded eagerly.

"Can't sweetie. And before you start whining, let me elaborate. It's not because I don't want to, because trust me, I would love to get through one family dinner without you two sniping at each other. It is because Chris is very perceptive for a non-emapth, he'd know what I was doing and then he'd close off his mind and be mad at me. And trust me, broody angry Chris is definitely not my favorite brand of Chris."

"Seriously, he'd sense you? But Lena could slip through his defenses just fine."

"Yes, but Lena was an empath from birth. She's much more subtle than I am. Think a ballerina and a bull in a china shop. Plus, there's that bond between the three of you to consider."

"Yeah well a lot of good that "bond" is doing me," he groused.

"It's alright, baby," Phoebe sighed, rubbing her hand lightly down his back. "Give it some time. Chris could never quite resist your sweet little face."

"Ha. Ha," he responded sarcastically.

"And I will talk to him, just no magic involved, alright?"

"Not even a little bit?"

"No, not even a little. I'm a psychologist after all, I don't need magic to help people, right?"

"Uh yeah sure."

"Okay, so stop moping. I'm going to go see what your mother's up to."

* * *

Wyatt watched Phoebe head up the stairs to his mother's room. He heaved another sigh, and after a few minutes he started on the stairs himself. He might as well go read the Book or make a potion or something. As he passed his mother's bedroom, he slowed.

"Phoebe… the way he's acting." Wyatt heard his mother sigh from behind the door, and paused. "Chris is becoming… _him._"

"You really think so? After all of this time?"

"November's coming Phoebe, and he'll be the same age _he _was when…" There was a pause, and Wyatt thought he heard a small sob.

"Piper, we always knew there was a chance that this would happen. The circumstances were unprecedented. But maybe you're being too rash… it could just be mood swings, stress, something else."

"It hurts to see him like this. I loved _him_ but everything he did to fix things, Chris shouldn't have to deal with knowing any of it. I don't want to lose my Chris."

Wyatt frowned. What on earth were they talking about? Who was this other person his mother kept referring to? He chanced pushing the door open slightly, eyes widening as he saw his mother desperately embracing his aunt.

Wyatt stepped back, confused. He wondered if this was part of that big-bad secret his family had been keeping from he and Chris. Concerned, he turned to his brother's half-open door. He could see Chris stretched out on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a book open on his chest. Were they losing Chris? Was he turning into someone else? If so, who? He trusted his mother to have a handle on whatever was happening, but his mother crying didn't make him feel too confident. He wanted to demand answers from his mother, but he knew she would never tell him. He would have to go to the source himself.

He knocked lightly on Chris' door. His brother turned his head to him, glaring at him. Wyatt swallowed, trying to ignore the weight of his brother's eyes on him. "Hey Chris. I'm uh," Wyatt paused. He hadn't exactly planned anything to say. "I'm… I'm going to Starbucks, you want anything?" Wyatt groaned inwardly. Starbucks? He couldn't come up with something better than that?

"Um, sure yeah, get me a mocha latte okay?"

Wyatt blinked. "Uh yeah. I'll be back."

Stuck with now having to actually go to Starbucks, Wyatt headed down the stairs. He ran into his father on the way. "Wyatt, where you headed?"

"Starbucks," he shrugged. "I offered Chris a coffee I didn't think he would accept, so now I have to get it. You want anything?"

"No thanks."

"Oh and Dad. This whole secret-keeping thing is getting old. If something's happening to my brother, I deserve to know. Think about that, and I want some answers when I get back."

Wyatt strode past his father without another word, feeling energized by suddenly being the one giving the orders.

* * *

Wyatt sipped his latte while thumbing through the Book of Shadows. Chris had refused any overtures of conversation, just took his coffee and slammed the door. His parents and Phoebe were closed in his parent's room, talking quietly.

"Spell, spell, spell, where are you?" he muttered. He knew there was some spell to reveal possession, and if Chris was turning into something, then maybe that spell could show him who this mystery man was. "Oh, here we go. Spell to reveal a secret face." He read through the instructions and groaned again. He would never be able to get Chris into a crystal circle before a mirror while he burned sage and recited a long spell. He would have to trick him. Damn, he wished he could get Lena here to help.

"Hmm… I wonder if this would work while Chris was unconscious?" Wyatt mused. Well he needed help anyway. "TYLER!" he called. There was a brief pause before green-tinged orbs appeared in the attic.

Tyler looked mildly surprised. "Wyatt? What do you want?"

"Something's wrong with Chris," Wyatt said, and realized he sounded awfully whiny.

"What is it?" Tyler was immediately all business.

"I don't know. I need you to find out."

"Hey wait a second, I'm not his whitelighter or yours, I've already got my hands full with my charges."

"I just need you to talk to him, or help me with this spell here." Tyler looked over Wyatt's shoulder at the spell and frowned.

"You think something's possessing Chris?"

"Maybe. I overheard my mom and aunt talking about Chris being influenced by someone, they said it had something to do with his birthday coming up."

Wyatt caught the dark expression that crossed Tyler's face. "Oh my god, you know, don't you?"

"Uh… know what?"

"The big secret, you know what it is. Seriously, are Chris and I the only people who _don't _know?"

"It's not my place to tell you, Wyatt," Tyler shrugged. "But I will tell you one thing. Lena's terrified that something bad is about to happen. Keep your eyes sharp. Keep your senses open. Don't ignore your instincts."

"Okay. Well right now my instincts tell me to not let Chris out of my sight. How's that?"

"I would say that is wise." Tyler closed the Book, resting his hand on the cover. "The three of you are very important to the future, Wyatt, more than you could possibly imagine. If something happened to break the chain, then the whole world could collapse into darkness."

"But we aren't even technically 'Charmed' yet," Wyatt whispered.

"There are very few 'technicalities' in magic, Wyatt. Destiny will not hold off just because you haven't performed the transference ritual yet. The future is ever-changing. The one we're headed towards now isn't even the first incarnation of it in your lifetime. Whenever there is someone with the power to see what may be, the future will change. Originally a girl was to be born in your place, and she would have had a much different path than yours, but it all changed."

"What's with you waxing philosophical on me? Just tell me what I should do. You're a whitelighter for god's sake, guide me."

"I don't have the answers you're looking for Wyatt. I'm not sure anyone does. All I can tell you is to do what you think is right, regardless of what others may tell you."

"You're not very useful, Tyler," Wyatt groaned. "All of these riddles and quotes, it's like talking to a fortune cookie. What exactly do they teach you people 'up there'?"

Tyler smiled. "I have to get going now. A charge is calling me. Good luck, Wyatt. Oh, and call Lena would you? She's worried." Without another word, he orbed out.

Wyatt sighed, placing his hand on the triquetra atop the Book and closing his eyes, drawing strength from it. He felt cornered, and for the first time he really appreciated the fear and helplessness that overcame psychics. To know that something bad would happen, but not know when, or how, or why, was a terrible predicament indeed. He felt a sudden kinship with his cousin and aunt. Trudging down the stairs, he met his father in the parlor.

"Dad… out with it," Wyatt said crossly.

"Wyatt, come sit down." Wyatt nodded, perching across from his father. "The secret you know has been kept from you, has been kept from you for a good reason, Wy. It's nothing you need to know, and nothing you should know. I know you don't like it, but you have to trust me, trust your mother and your aunts."

"But Lena knows," Wyatt said, knowing full well that he sounded like a petulant child.

"Lena was never meant to know, we were forced to disclose it to her when her powers let her in on it. And Wyatt, even she would never tell you."

"Is it about me, Dad? Did I do something?"

His father appeared stricken for a moment before smiling and shaking his head. "No, Wyatt. You didn't do anything wrong. But it's up to myself, your mother, and your aunts to decide on this."

"But if it's part of what's been going on with Chris—"

"Don't worry about Chris, Wyatt. Everything will be fine. Your brother just needs some space for now."

Leo smiled at him and left the room. Wyatt felt his anger rising. He was so tired of being treated like some stupid fragile kid. But he wouldn't get anything out of his father. Years of being an elder had granted his father some crazy immunity to anger. There was only one thing to do. He would just force his cousin to let him in on this big dark secret. He had promised Phoebe not to bother her except on school breaks, but it was a promise he never intended to keep anyway.

Lena might have kept the big secret from him for years, but if she knew Chris was in danger then she would tell him. The bond between the three of them was stronger than between their parents. Determined, he ran back upstairs to get his cell phone. But by the time he had it in his hands, he'd already forgotten what he needed it for.

* * *

A/N: I hope everyone can sort of read between the lines here to figure out what's going on. If not, I'll try and clarify in the next chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought!


	15. Monster in a Cave

**A/N:** Another chapter already? Wow! Thanks to everyone who read and those who took the time to review, I greatly appreciate it.

Anyway, this story is becoming quite dense, so I'll go over what's happened thus far.

Recap: Paige's daughters Prue and Nel were drafted by the demon Dakian to complete a number of tasks including poisoning Chris in return for the stripping of their powers. After a bad fight that left Lena inexplicably injured, Phoebe sent her daughter away to Palo Alto with the promise that she would not return to San Francisco until her summer terms at Stanford had ended. When Lena tried to break that promise she discovered that her oath had been magically imbued and it was impossible for her to return. Meanwhile, Chris' actions have become more and more out of character, causing his family to worry. His parents and aunts believe that Chris is being influenced by the Chris they knew from the now defunct future. Wyatt became increasingly frustrated at being left out of the loop and decided to contact his cousin for help, but when he made to call her, he completely forgot his intention.

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 15: Monster in a Cave

* * *

August

Chris touched his hand to the wrought iron gate surrounding his Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Alec's estate. The gate swung open immediately, magical enchantments recognizing one of the few to be allowed unescorted onto the property. His uncle found orbing in unannounced to be among the rudest of actions, and so Chris made a point to orb outside the gate if they weren't expecting him. Besides, from there he could walk right on in anyway. There was no need for keys here.

Chris had taken to spending more and more time away from the Manor; away from his brother's suffocating presence and his parents' worried glances. He had gotten far too many pats on the back and offers to talk in the past few months. At first he thought they were all overly worried and paranoid, but not he had begun to wonder.

He felt out of sorts, after having been asked time and time again if something had happened to him, Chris had finally realized that something was wrong. He couldn't think straight, nothing felt right, and he just knew that there was something so very wrong with him. He immediately had tried to get to Lena, needing confirmation that only she could give him, but every time his orbs headed for Palo Alto, they were ricocheted right back.

The main door to the mansion opened at Chris' touch and he entered the empty foyer. "Aunt Phoebe?" he called. "Aunt Pheebs, are you home?"

"She's not here!" Chris heard a voice call from down the hall.

"Uncle Alec?"

"I'm in the Vault, Chris," his uncle replied.

Chris strode down the hallway, heading for the hidden room where members of the Kalos family practiced their magic. The door was open, and Chris saw his uncle with his uncle's cat in the corner mixing a potion. As the Vault had no electricity, several candles were lit and laid out. "Hey," Chris greeted, standing awkwardly just outside the door.

"Hey Chris. What's going on?"

"You wouldn't happen to know why I can't get to Palo Alto, would you?"

As expected, the mention of the city where his daughter was currently residing caught Alec's attention. He turned to face Chris, looking worried. "Every time I try to orb there I get kicked back here, like there's some sort of barrier keeping me from her."

Alec ran a hand across his face. "When did you last speak to Lena?" he whispered.

"The day she left," Chris replied. "You?"

"The same. She checks in once a week, but I always seem to miss her call." Alec's eyes widened with realization and he stalked across the room, pulling a large book off of a shelf. He opened it to a bookmarked page and grimaced.

"What is it?"

"Oath spell," Alec said.

"Oath spell? Aunt Phoebe then. She made us all promise not to bother Lena, and made her promise not to come back here, she neglected to state that those promises were binding." Chris' eyes blazed and anger rose in his chest. "How dare she trick us like that? How dare she drive a wedge between us? Doesn't she realize how important the relationship between the three of us is?" It wasn't until he saw his uncle's eyes widen that he realized he had said those last few statements aloud.

"Phoebe knows those things as well as any of us. I can't believe that she would do this on purpose. I'm sure there's an explanation, Chris."

"Like what?"

"The big players in the Underworld have been quiet for a while now. Isn't it possible that they've played us? I've wondered about it ever since that day months ago when they killed all of those witches at their covens."

"So, what, they made her perform the Oath spell?" Chris asked.

"Wouldn't be the first time any of us were… influenced… by our enemies."

"Influenced?" Chris said darkly. "Influenced how?"

"Spells, potions, could be any number of things." Alec's brow furrowed. "I have a spell here somehow that should reveal which of us have been affected." He started going through a stack of books. "We need to get everyone here, now, including Lena. But we need Phoebe to break the spell before she can come here. We should call her whitelighter though. Chris, grab your brother and your parents, I'll call Phoebe, Paige and Tyler." He was distracted while he spoke, turning pages and reading spells.

"Ah, here it is. This spell is fool proof Chris, trust me. We'll figure this out in no time." Alec finally turned to Chris, the spell book open in his hands. Chris said nothing, but something about him was off. Alec stared into his eyes, his posture, his expression. Something in Chris' face made him uneasy. There was a coldness there, a detachment that he had never seen before. Alec glanced back at the book in his hands, wondering why he had come about this realization so late. Chris took a step into the Vault and Alec took a step back, wondering how he would get himself out of this mess.

The cat hopped down from the table, bounding across the room. She placed herself between Chris and Alec, hissing at the younger witch.

"Well I guess I don't need the spell to know that they got to you," Alec said, lowering the book.

Chris didn't respond, just attacked.

Chris slammed a blast of telekinesis into his uncle, throwing him against the far wall. Alec jumped to his feet with a snarl. Of the two, Alec was the better trained, but Chris had the advantage of power and of being someone Alec wouldn't want to hurt. Alec, not daring to use fire or water in a room filled with such valuable books, hit back with a slap of wind. The wind sliced open a cut on Chris' head, but Chris fought back, keeping his uncle from lunging at him. With his other hand, Chris knocked over the candles.

Alec's eyes went wide as the candles spilled over, ancient, priceless books and papers catching on fire. Alec dashed to the fires, using his power to suck the oxygen out of them and smother them.

Behind him, Chris was mastering his powers. He felt something dark and strange overtake him completely, making him feel powerful and without peer.

As the last fire was extinguished, Alec turned his attention back to his nephew. He saw something dark rise around Chris, something indefinable but evil. Chris' eyes flashed and Alec's head snapped back, throwing him into darkness.

Chris stared at his unconscious uncle for a moment. Then he stepped back out of the Vault. Raising a hand, he flung the door closed telekinetically, watching with satisfaction as it disappeared into the wall.

* * *

Outside of the Kalos Vineyeard, Chris started. He couldn't recall why he was there, or what had happened before getting there. He briefly remembered deciding to visit his aunt. He turned to the gate, confused. "Aunt Phoebe's not home," he whispered, crinkling his brow. How did he know that?

Chris stared at his hands, and for a moment he thought he saw them tinged with black. Something dripped into his eye, and Chris reached a hand up to wipe it away. His fingers came back bloodstained. "What?" He felt for the cut, and froze. He didn't remember that happening either. "I need help," he said quietly to himself. He cast one last glance at the mansion before orbing out.

* * *

"Alec?" Phoebe called to the empty mansion. "Alec where are you?" She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. "Alec!" Her heartbeat accelerated. Alec should be home. She went straight for the Vault and found herself staring futilely at the empty wall. Only blood members of the Kalos family could open the Vault, which meant only Alec and Lena had access to it. She couldn't imagine what could have befallen her husband inside of his own territory though. That room was protected.

"Paige!"

Her sister appeared with a scowl on her face. "Phoebe – this better be important—" She stopped short when she saw Phoebe's expression.

"Something's wrong," Phoebe said. "I can feel it. Something's happened to Alec."

"Can you… feel him anywhere?"

"If I could, I wouldn't have needed to call you, would I?" Phoebe replied. "Can you sense him?"

Paige closed her eyes and then shook her head. "I can't sense him anywhere. Let's get to the Manor and scry for him."

* * *

The attic in the Manor quickly became a hub of frenzied activity. Phoebe scryed for Alec while Paige and Piper tried summoning spells. Wyatt orbed between the attic and the Underworld searching for him. Leo even went to the Elders to ask if anyone knew what happened. The only notable absence was Chris. He hadn't come home.

"This is impossible. He has to be in the Vault," Paige finally announced. "It's one of the few places that would completely cloak him from us."

"But why wouldn't he answer us then?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe he's hurt," Piper suggested.

"Nothing could attack him in there! It's protected! It's better protected against evil than even Magic School."

"Unless it wasn't a demon?" Leo said. "Alec always leaves the door open, any witch or human could attack him from the hall. Either way, it's worth a shot to look in there."

"I can't orb in without him or Lena," Wyatt said.

"No one can," Leo added. "It is the safest place for a Kalos."

"Then we need Lena," Paige said. "I'll get her." Phoebe's mouth opened to speak, but Paige's orbs disappeared before she could say anything.

* * *

Chris stood at the city line, just outside of Palo Alto. It was the closest he could get to Lena without his orbs being scattered. While there would always be a knee-jerk reaction to go to Wyatt for help, Chris' pride held him back. Admitting that Wyatt might have been right was something he simply could not do. But Lena was different. Showing weakness to Lena never seemed to require the same loss of pride.

Chris screamed for her, both audibly and mentally. He wondered if he should put himself to sleep, as she had last spoken to him in his dreams. He was just about to utter a sleep spell when he felt a terrible wrenching in his head, as if she had grabbed hold of him and just _pulled_.

Chris' eyes closed and he dropped to his knees.

_"Lena! Finally! Haven't you heard me calling for you?" Chris asked desperately. Though neither was asleep, they were both standing inside of a dreamscape. It was bleak and hastily thrown together, just pale light and hard ground. Lena stood before him, looking concerned._

_"No… No I didn't. I just… had this inkling like you might need me," she said. "What's wrong?"_

_"Me, Lena. I think something's wrong with me!" Chris cried. "You need to help me, please."_

_"Okay, okay, but you have to tell me what's happened." The dreamscape turned into Chris' bedroom, and Lena sat cross-legged in front of him on the bed as he huddled against the headboard. He filled her in on everything, the mood swings and temper tantrums, and that palpable rage he felt inside of himself. The terrible thought that maybe he had done something to his uncle he kept to himself. _

_Lena just nodded thoughtfully and then got onto her knees and slid close to Chris. She held out her hands to his head and he twitched, stiffening. "Just relax, and I'll check, okay?" she asked. He nodded skeptically but did as she said, his eyes closing. Lena's fingers rubbed over Chris' temples as she entered his mind. She ignored the cacophony of thoughts and feeling that came with her entry and searched for a hint of anything strange or different in her cousin's mind and body. _

_Her fingers stilled as she felt it, a soulless evil inside of Chris, like a monster in a cave, biding its time, building its strength, waiting to take over. She flinched and tried to withdraw as she felt it rearing up, as if it were somehow staring straight at her, but something prevented her from leaving Chris' mind. She felt Chris' hands on her wrists, heard him calling out to her, but it was all hazy and in the background. All she could focus on was the darkness surrounding her, the feeling of true evil that had her skin crawling and her whole body shuddering with revulsion. The thing hiding inside of Chris reared back, about to strike, and she tried desperately to get away, shouting out a telepath's spell for an emergency exit from a troubled mind. But it overpowered her, drowned out her voice. And then it struck. It felt like being caught in the middle of an explosion, a searing burn encompassed her, and the force of it threw her out of Chris' mind, jarring her being and pushing her own consciousness to the far reaches of herself. She screamed once, the pain unbearable as it wrenched the telepathic connection she had created, forced her back into her own mind. She briefly saw Chris' worried face and then everything went blissfully black._

_"Lena!" Chris screamed as his cousin abruptly disappeared, her scream echoing through the dreamscape. "Lena!!" She didn't return, and Chris felt something stir inside of him, and a voice echoed through the expanse of his mind. _

"You don't need her. I'm all you need now. We'll be so good together, Chris."

* * *

"Lena?" Lena's housemate, Amber, knocked lightly on Lena's bedroom door. She had heard her housemate scream and the thud of something heavy hitting the floor before everything had gone unnaturally silent. "Lena, are you alright?" She knocked again, cursing the automatic locking mechanism on the apartment doors as Lena failed to respond. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye and so looked down at the gap between the floor and the door. A shadow moved there, drawing closer to the door, and so Amber waited for Lena to open up and verify that she was alright. Annoyed, she bent down to stare under the door, try to see into the room. As soon as she put her face towards the gap, a cloud of darkness formed on the floor and the shadow turned inky black and corporeal. Amber screamed and drew back as the shadow suddenly flew out from beneath the door, a cloud of black in the air before her. She screamed again, stumbling backward as it charged her. The shadow passed through her, throwing her to the ground as it stole her breath.

Just beyond the closed door Lena lay on the floor, her right arm stretched out as if reaching for something, blood stained in crimson lines from her nose and ears. Her eyes were open and unseeing as they stared at the ceiling.

* * *

Chris woke up with a start, rubbing his hands over his eyes in fright. His nightmare was fading fast from his mind, and that was all it was, right? A nightmare. It had to be because that could not have been real.

* * *

Phoebe twitched as Paige's orbs violently reformed in front of her. "What happened?" Paige demanded. "Why can't I get to Lena?"

"What do you mean you can't—" Phoebe cut off abruptly, wincing.

"Aunt Phoebe?" Wyatt asked rushing to her side.

Phoebe fell to her hands and knees, her hand coming up to her chest. "Lena… Lena…" Phoebe choked. She rolled to her side, curling up on the floor. Piper, Paige, and Wyatt closed in around her, calling out to her. Phoebe's eyes went wide and she screamed a terrible scream, her daughter's name on her lips before she went limp.

"Aunt Phoebe!" Wyatt shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Wake up!"

Piper pushed him out of the way, cupping her sister's face. "Phoebe honey, please," she cried. She turned to her husband with fear in her eyes. Leo joined them on the floor, doing the only thing he could think of, trying to heal her. However the golden glow amounted to nothing and Phoebe was still unconscious.

"What do we do? What do we do?!" Wyatt demanded in a panic. "She called for Lena – something's wrong with Lena! What do we do?"

Paige tried again to orb to her niece, but she couldn't make it. She reappeared with tears in her eyes. "TYLER!" She screamed for Lena's whitelighter, and when he failed to appear she too began to panic. She turned to Leo, demanding with her eyes that he do something.

Wyatt stared at the ceiling in desperation. "CHRIS!" he finally shouted. "CHRISS!"

* * *

Dakian watched as the shadow creature slid into form before him. It whispered to him in a fervent voice. Dakian listened and then turned stunned eyes to Shanqil. "Things have accelerated faster than we planned. Both Alec and Lena now know something's wrong with Christopher, and soon the rest will know as well."

"Then we must bring him here immediately," she suggested.

"Indeed. Prepare the materials. I will call our lord home."

* * *

Chris leaned against the guardrail, staring out at Palo Alto in the distance. He felt sick, really sick. He sensed for Lena, but couldn't feel her. Had he just…? He let the thought fade. He wanted to believe it was a nightmare, but the sound of her scream, the sight of her wide eyes haunted his mind. What had happened, when she touched him? What could make Lena scream like that? A small part of him desperately wondered if he had killed his cousin.

Chris began to orb, to orb home. But he stopped abruptly when he saw his own orbs beginning to separate. They were darker than they were supposed to be. "Dark orbs?" he cried. Finally giving up any sense of arrogance or pride, Chris looked to the sky. "Wyatt!"

Black tendrils of smoke appeared from the ground, arching over him and grabbing tightly. Chris stared about in fright. He tried to orb but he couldn't, he was caught in the dark net. "WYATT!" he screamed again just before the net completely obscured his vision.

* * *

"Chris!" Wyatt breathed, hearing his brother's call. He disappeared in a flurry of orbs. He reappeared on the side of the highway, but no one was there. "Chris!" he shouted. "Chris, answer me!" He sensed for him impatiently, finding nothing; screaming and desperate. "CHRIS! ANSWER ME! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Chris was gone.

* * *

**A/N: **And so it begins, finally.

Thanks for reading, I would love to know what you thought!

_Ada_


	16. Ensnared

**A/N: So here's another chapter of Repercussions. Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last one, and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 16: Ensnared

* * *

Chris regained awareness slowly and painfully. When he tried to move, he found himself restrained. The demons had secured his wrists and ankles to a metal grate, and held it suspended in the air. Below him existed a round pit, surrounded by an inverted pentagram cut into the floor. Chris fought against the bonds, and they held fast. He tried to orb, to TK, to use any magic whatsoever, but found his magic completely blocked. He could not even sense for his brother. "Dad! Wyatt! Paige!" he screamed at the stalactite ceiling of the cavern.

"They will never hear you," a cold, smooth voice announced as a hooded demon entered the cave with him.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Chris asked as the figure stood before him, staring up at where Chris hung.

"You will find out in due time," he responded. The hood prevented Chris from seeing his face, from looking him in his soulless eyes and reading the intention there.

He felt so stupid for taking so long to get help. If he had called for Wyatt earlier then… then maybe they would have caught Wyatt as well. Chris wasn't sure how it had happened, and he knew he had been targeted, but the way in which they ensnared him was nothing he had ever seen before. He would have been impressed, except for the part where they had strung him up on the grate, and he had been rendered helpless. He only hoped they were not going to go after his family next.

Several other cloaked demons walked into the chamber, each standing on one of the points of the star. They did not look up at Chris, and he wondered if they even knew he was there. Heads down and covered, they began a low chant in a long-dead language. The one who had spoken to him stood in the center by the pit, leading the others.

Chris felt an overwhelming sense of dread pass over him as their voices droned on as one. He only hoped whatever they were about to do to him went quickly.

Dark energy began to churn and rise from within the pit, goaded on by the chant and coming closer to Chris. Their voices reached a crescendo, and the power shot up, black and evil. It coursed through him, his body seizing as he fought wildly against the bonds, screaming until his throat felt raw and dry. The evil from the energy burned and ached, agony enveloping him.

All at once it stopped, and Chris took ragged breaths of dank air as his heart hammered against his ribs.

The head demon nodded to the others and they marched out. He cast one glance back at Chris, as if appraising him, before he too walked out and cast the cavern in darkness.

Chris' body shook – aftereffects from the… whatever it was. Perspiration slid down his face as he stared into the penetrating black that surrounded him, hoping beyond hope that this would not be the last room he ever saw.

* * *

Tyler felt a burning in his chest and an image of Lena, still and broken shot through his mind. He orbed immediately, seeking her out. When he appeared in her bedroom, he gasped at what he found. Lena lay on the floor, her right arm outstretched, streaks of blood sliding from his nose and ears. Her eyes were open, wide and unseeing.

"Lena!" he cried, dropping to his knees beside her. Gently he felt her wrist for her pulse. He was relieved to feel a steady beat beneath his fingertips. He let out a sigh of relief, running his fingers through her dark hair. He held his hands over her face, watching the warm glow wash away the bloodstains. But still she did not wake.

"Lena?" he coaxed. "Come on, don't do this to me." He gathered her in his arms, shaking her lightly. Her head flopped to the side, eyes still open. He recognized the condition, knew that this is what a psychic trapped somewhere inside of their own mind looked like. "I'll… I'm going to get some help, Lena. I'll be right back, I promise." Phoebe's spell prevented him from going to the Halliwells for help, but he had other connections.

He laid her down gently and then orbed away.

He returned with a twelve-year-old boy clutching his hand. "Lena," Tyler whispered, kneeling beside her. "This is Todd, he's going to try and help you, okay?"

Todd looked stricken, glancing between the fallen witch and his whitelighter.

"Just… astral project her out, okay?" Tyler said.

"Um… yeah, sure, just that simple, huh?" Todd replied. He bent beside her, hands hovering as if afraid to touch her.

"She won't break," Tyler whispered.

Todd nodded, grasping her hand firmly. He closed his eyes and Tyler held his breath. A moment later, two astral forms shot out across the room. Tyler turned to see Todd and Lena standing across the room from their bodies.

"Tyler?" Lena asked, blinking.

"Lena!" Tyler shouted. "Thank God. What happened to you? Why won't you wake up?"

"I… I was trying Ty but… but I think I got lost. It was all so dark." She was disoriented, confused, and even in astral form her head ached. The memory of that terrible evil swelling over her was fresh, and it just made her want to go back to sleep.

"I understand, Lena. It was a psychic backlash and your psyche is somehow disconnected. A telepath can guide you back out. So you need to get to your mom, you need to make her undo the spell. She's the only who can bring you back."

"Alright," she nodded, happy that someone knew what to do. She turned to Todd as if noticing him for the first time. He was holding her hand, and she realized that he had astral projected her, a remarkable feat for a young witch. "Hey, um, I'm Lena, how's it going?"

"I'm Todd," he replied, blushing.

"Think we could project to San Francisco?"

"Just uh… send the location into my head and I'll do the work," Todd answered. Lena nodded, closing her eyes. Magic was more difficult in astral form. She glanced briefly at her body on the floor before she and Todd disappeared.

* * *

Lena and Todd reappeared in the attic of the Manor, where Lena hoped she would find her mother. However the only person in the attic was Wyatt.

"LENA!" he screamed, running to her. She gripped Todd's hand tighter as Wyatt dragged her into an awkward embrace, not wanting to lose the astral connection. "Lena thank God!"

"Wyatt, get off of me for a second, okay?" He did as she asked, stepping back and noticing Todd for the first time. "Something terrible has happened. I need… where's my mom?"

"Wait… are you… are you astral projecting?"

"Yes. Todd's let me piggyback on his power. Wyatt, there's something… evil… inside of Chris. It attacked me when I went into his mind, and now I can't wake up. I need my mom."

Wyatt nodded. "She's downstairs."

Lena dragged Todd down the stairs, screaming for Phoebe. Wyatt followed close behind. Her mother's eyes shot to the stairs, relief evident on her face. "Mom, you have to undo the spell," Lena said before Phoebe could rush her for an embrace.

"What spell?"

"The Oath Spell, mom. I know all about it. You need to undo it so I can come home."

Phoebe was confused, and Lena was too stressed to explain it correctly.

"Lena's hurt back in Palo Alto," Todd said, cutting through his own nervousness to try and help. "Like psychically hurt, she needs a telepath to help her. Tyler's back there waiting. I astral projected her out because Ty said the spell prevented him from getting any help from her family."

"I… I really performed an Oath Spell?" Phoebe asked, cringing. "I barely remember it."

"You did, so reverse it."

"God, Lena, I can't. The book I used is in the Vault. Your father's gone missing so I can't get inside."

"Dad's missing?" Lena asked, stricken. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter right now, Todd can't keep me here forever. We need to undo the spell first. I can get into the Vault."

Lena nudged Todd and the two disappeared. Wyatt grabbed Phoebe's hand and orbed them to the Kalos mansion.

They met Todd and Lena in the hallway outside of the Vault. Lena took a breath and placed her hand against the empty wall. The wall shimmered with magic and transformed into a door. She pulled on the handle and it opened with a whoosh of air. She gasped as she saw her father, collapsed in the far corner. "Dad!" she shouted.

"Lena… I… can't…" Todd suddenly cried. She turned to him just before they both disappeared.

Wyatt shoved Phoebe into the Vault. He bypassed his aunt, running for his uncle. "I'll heal him, you just get that spell!" He knelt beside Alec, the cat hopping into his lap as he healed him.

Alec woke with a groan. "Ugh, what happened?" he asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me that," Wyatt said, pushing the cat away and helping Alec to his feet.

"I've got it!" Phoebe shouted. She quickly recited a long rhyme from an old book. Alec watched her with dark eyes. Wyatt felt the magic lift, a clear image of Lena and her location suddenly coming into his mind.

"Come on Aunt Phoebe," he said, grabbing for his aunt and uncle. Without giving them a chance to respond, he orbed them both to Lena's bedroom at Stanford.

* * *

Alec scooped Lena up, laying her down on her bed. He pushed the hair out of her face, resting his hand over her open eyes, closing them gently. "Phoebe," he whispered. Phoebe broke out of her stunned stupor and climbed on the bed beside her. Tentatively, she rubbed her fingers against Lena's temples and pressed their foreheads together.

_Lena's mind was dark and deep. Phoebe focused on the small sliver of life she could sense somewhere in the blackness. "Lena," she called. "Can you hear me?" _

_A golden light flashed somewhere in the distance, and Phoebe ran towards it. As she did, a flurry of images and sounds flew past her face. She tried not to pay any attention to them. Not only was it a gross infringement on Lena's privacy, but she couldn't let herself be distracted. Some she did see, and found that the same image of Chris, desperate and pleading appeared before her again and again. _

_"Mom?" a quiet voice called._

_"Lena!" she shouted back. "Come to me, sweetheart, follow my voice."_

_"I'm trying… I'm so tired…"_

_"No! Don't sleep, Lena! I need you to focus on me, I need you to come here."_

_"Just please… a nap… for a little bit?"_

_"No!" Realizing that Lena wouldn't do it for her, Phoebe decided a bit of manipulation might be in order. "Chris is missing, Lena. You're the only one who can find him. You need to stay awake, for Chris!" _

_The light she was racing towards suddenly became much, much brighter._

_"For Chris," Lena whispered. _

_The light began to take shape, Lena's silhouette appearing. Phoebe reached for her, suddenly unable to move forward. Lena's mental shields were too thick, Phoebe couldn't break through them. It was up to Lena to bridge the distance between them. "It hurts!" Lena screamed. "It hurts, it hurts, please, I can't!" _

_"Chris needs you, come on, you can do it!" Phoebe shouted back. "Push through it, Lena. You're the only one who can do this!"_

_"It burns, it burns," she sobbed. Even so, she was coming closer, and Phoebe could see her now._

_"Reach for me, grab my hand," she coaxed._

_"I CAN'T!" Lena shouted in pained frustration. _

_"Yes you CAN!" Phoebe yelled. "You can do it! You're the best of all of us, you understand me? I'm sorry for sending you away, I'm sorry for what I did, but we can't do this without you. You have to be strong, Lena, you have to!"_

_"For Chris?" Lena's voice shook._

_"For all of us."_

_Lena nodded, and pushed forward with everything she had. Their fingers met, and Phoebe grabbed her hand, holding on tight. Phoebe pulled the girl to her, embracing her tightly. "We have to go back," Phoebe whispered. "Come on."_

_

* * *

_

Phoebe opened her eyes to find Lena staring back at her, bright sea-green eyes filled with pain but also with awareness. Phoebe moved away, allowing Lena to sit up. Lena blinked, her gaze moving from one face to the next. She stopped on Wyatt. "Chris?" she asked.

Wyatt shook his head. "I… I can't find him, Lena."

Lena nodded, much too calmly for Wyatt's liking. "We need to get back to the Manor, we have to… to go over what's happened." She turned to her Whitelighter and the young witch with him. "Tyler… Todd, thank you both."

"No problem," Tyler said, staring at her with concerned eyes.

"Wait… something's…" Lena began, standing abruptly and opening the door. Just beyond it her housemate was unconscious on the floor. Lena turned to Wyatt, who immediately laid his hands on her and healed her. Amber came to with a gasp, staring at Lena with frightened eyes.

"Lena… what… what happened?" she asked fearfully.

"It was nothing," Lena replied, cupping the side of Amber's face. "Nothing."

"Nothing…" Amber whispered. "Thought I heard a noise… but it was nothing… okay…" The girl stood almost robotically and left them. Lena sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"No more telepathy today," she groaned. Wyatt touched her shoulder and motioned for Phoebe and Alec to grasp hold of him, orbing the whole group back to the Manor.

* * *

The family gathered in the sunroom – Phoebe, Piper, Paige, Alec, Leo, Wyatt, and Lena. Alec spoke first, telling of Chris' visit to the mansion and his reaction to the spell he had planned to use. He flushed with shame that Chris should have so easily defeated him, thinking that somehow if he had won that scuffle Chris would still be there.

Lena was silent throughout, clutching a cup of tea in her hands. When her father had finished his tale, she began hers. She paused at the description of the evil inside of Chris, unable to articulate what it had felt like. Her mother rubbed her arm sympathetically, having felt a bit of Lena's pain just before she collapsed. "But… it was still Chris," she said finally. "Yeah there was something inside of him, but Chris was still there. The person who… who attacked Dad and who forced me away, it wasn't him."

"But what was it then? Possession?" Wyatt asked.

Lena shook her head. "It… it was organic, like a seed that had grown inside of him."

"There's a very ancient, very difficult potion that could achieve this," Alec said slowly. "I've only ever heard about it, and the only recipe for it is supposedly within the Source's Grimoir."

"So what does that mean?" Wyatt demanded. "What will it do to Chris?"

"I'm no expert, but it was invented to turn witches. A small dose would grow within the host, latching on to certain feelings of anger or frustration until it became strong enough to overtake the host. But… maybe it isn't that potion…"

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Because it only works on people with an already significant flaw or weakness. What could it have used to take over Chris?"

"Either way, we have to find him," Piper said emphatically.

"How come no one noticed this happening?" Lena said angrily. The others turned to her in surprise. "The evil inside of him – it had been growing for a while. Why didn't you do anything to stop it?!"

The adults eyed each other warily. Finally Alec spoke, "We didn't realize what it was, Lena. But pointing fingers isn't going to help Chris. Now come on, you need to get some rest."

"No, I need to find Chris." She stood defiantly and climbed the stairs to the attic, Wyatt close behind her.

* * *

"This isn't working," Wyatt said, frustrated. "Why can't I summon him?!"

Lena looked up from the Book, a frown gracing her otherwise stone expression. "There are plenty of things that can be used to block a summoning – crystals, spells, traps," she said matter-of-factly.

"I know that. I'm not an idiot. It was a rhetorical question."

"The demons behind this… they've been planning meticulously. We have to… we have to really think about it, come up with something really they wouldn't have planned for in order to find him."

"So you think he was abducted?"

"They must've had a way of keeping track of him and what was going on. Once he showed my Dad and I that something was wrong, they wouldn't let him stay here where we could fix it, would they?"

Her tone was bland and it unnerved Wyatt, who was filled with such anger, fear, dread, and tension that he thought he might just snap and end up screaming and crying.

"How can you be so… so matter-of-fact about this?" he demanded, rounding on her.

Lena's face was shadowed as she looked at him. "I would panic if I thought it would help." In truth, Lena was even confused by her reaction. Ever since Phoebe helped her wake up, she just felt cold and numb inside. Even that inner reserve of anger that she kept within her had disappeared and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't muster up any sort of emotional reaction. The brief anger she managed to come up with when she accused her family of not paying enough attention to Chris had been brief, short-lived, and it evaporated quickly. The memory of the evil within Chris suddenly washed over her and she shivered. She swallowed, forcing the memory away and focusing again on the Book of Shadows.

* * *

Phoebe watched her husband going through books in the Vault. He was tense, and he muttered under his breath several times as he came across books that had been damaged in his fight with Chris. He picked up one that had considerable burns on the pages and threw it hard against the wall. "DAMMIT!" he shouted, sweeping his arm across the table and knocking everything to the floor. He cursed and raged, throwing and kicking at the contents of the Vault.

"Alec, stop!" Phoebe shouted, grabbing his arm as he prepared to launch another priceless tome.

"Let go of me, Phoebe," he said, wrenching his arm out of her grasp. But he did seem calmer and he put the book down, sinking into a chair with his head in his hands.

Phoebe bent down next to him, pushing his head up by his chin and looking into his eyes. "Hey, come on, talk to me."

"We screwed up, Phoebe, we screwed up." He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "What was I thinking? Agreeing with you to send Lena away? Goddamn… you heard her… the evil inside of Chris, she would have sensed it. This wouldn't have happened if she had been here."

"I'm sorry," Phoebe said, and she was. "But I don't see how talking about it now is going to help."

"You're right, you're right," he responded. "Before Chris… stopped me… I was getting out a spell to test the family for any outside influence. Considering what you did… the oath spell… we still need to test everyone."

"Alright then, let's do it."

Alec stood, going through the mess on the floor before he found the right book again. "It's in Ancient Greek, so I'll have to cross-check the instructions with Lena." The Kalos witches were able to read and speak in the language of their ancestors, an instinctive knowledge passed down through their bloodline.

"So back to the Manor?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, just let me grab the crystals and the ingredients for the potion." He went through the large armoire in the corner and grabbed various vials and jars from it.

Phoebe rested her hand against his back, feeling the tenseness of his muscles through his shirt. She didn't need to use her powers to know that Alec was terrified.

* * *

When Phoebe and Alec reached the attic it was to find Wyatt performing the spell to summon a lost witch, while Paige scryed and Piper and Leo went through the Book of Shadows. Lena was sitting in the wingback chair near the door, fast asleep.

Paige made a shooshing motion at the pair, pointing to Lena. "We had to pry the Book out of her hands," she whispered.

"Any luck?" Phoebe asked quietly.

Wyatt shook his head.

Alec rested his bag of supplies against the wall and crouched down, pulling out the various items. "I'll need the large basin," Alec said to Phoebe. She nodded, going to the cabinet and pulling it out. Alec lined the round rug with crystals and then turned his attention to his daughter. "I hate to wake her, but we should do this now." Phoebe nodded, quickly explaining to the others what they were about to do.

"Lena, baby, wake up," Alec said, shaking her lightly. Lena blinked groggily, before sitting up ramrod straight.

"You let me fall asleep?" she asked with irritation.

"Need your help with a spell," Alec said. He handed her the small book. "Just go over the translation with me, we need to get this right."

Lena nodded, all business. Together she and Alec prepared a potion in the basin. When they were finished the dark liquid churned within it, reflecting the light from the ceiling. "We're not going to drink that, are we?" Wyatt asked, looking disturbed.

"No, Wy. Phoebe we'll start with you. Just kneel in the circle." She did as he said, and he placed the basin on her lap. "Hold it there and look into it." Alec recited the spell in Greek and watched as light arced between the crystals and over Phoebe. The liquid in the basin turned a sheer white, and Phoebe saw her reflection in it before it suddenly went red.

"Someone cast a spell on you," Alec said. He recited the lines that the book indicated he should if the liquid went red. When he had finished, a woman's voice, quiet and low could be heard coming from the basin, the spellcaster's voice revealing to them what had spell had been used.

"She made you worried about Lena, so worried that you would send her away to protect her," Wyatt said as he deciphered the spell. "The counter-spell shouldn't be too hard," he added with a glance to his uncle.

"No, it isn't. Come on Phoebe, you can leave the circle now." Alec muttered over the potion and it turned dark again. One by one the family sat inside the circle as Alec performed the spell over and over. But the spell found no influence had been used over any of them. Finally, after Lena recited the spell over Alec, it was her turn.

At first nothing happened, and everyone sighed in relief, until the liquid suddenly turned black and thick. Alec's mouth dropped open. "Lena… sweetheart…" he whispered.

"What is it?" she asked.

Alec said nothing, but pulled out a pocketknife and grabbed a clear wine glass before approaching her. He took her hand in his and sliced a small cut along her palm. She hissed and watched as her blood dripped into the cup. He laid her hand down on her leg and turned to Leo. "Touch the blood," he said, handing it to him. Leo looked at him in confusion and then tentatively lowered his fingers into it. He pulled them out and the whole group looked on as a blue shimmer clung to the blood in the glass, like tiny orbs.

"A shadow spy," Alec said gravely.

"What does that mean?" Wyatt asked with concern.

Phoebe's eyes widened. "Cole told me… they're shadows that cling to demons, reporting everything the demon sees and hears back to whoever sent them."

"A Whitelighter's touch would reveal one inside of a demon, but because Lena's a witch, it managed to hide itself," Alec explained.

"How did this happen?" Piper asked.

"Oh my… that night… when Lena and Chris went missing… we found Lena in this strange place, there were shadows everywhere but I never thought…" Paige began.

"Then I've… all of this time, that… thing… was spying on us… on everything I saw or said or did," Lena whispered. "The witches who died… the shadow must have told the demons where to find them after I went to their covens. It's my fault they were killed…"

"No," Wyatt said forcefully. "It's the demon's fault." He turned to his uncle. "How do we get rid of the shadow?"

"A potion," Alec said. "It's um… it's an unpleasant potion but it's the only way."

"Let's do it," Lena said, making to get up.

"Wait, Lena… it isn't just the shadow. The spell is picking up on something else too." Lena kneeled back, listening to her father repeating the spell one more time. The basin's potion turned a deep gray, and the texture became that of tiny spheres. Alec recited the next bit and watched as grains of green dust rose from the basin. He reached out and caught a handful, studying them.

"Let me see," Phoebe said, looking at the dust and extending her hand towards it.

"Don't touch it," Lena called to her mother. "I've heard of that… it's to repress an empath's powers, it only works on witches like us."

"That's why your powers were off," Wyatt realized.

"There's an antidote for that too," Alec said quietly. "But first, we need to get rid of that shadow, or else anything we do to save Chris… the demons behind this will know about." The group nodded.

* * *

The potion to rid Lena's body of the shadow spy was the most disgusting thing the young witch had ever tasted. It smelled like roadkill and had the consistency of wet clay. "It should start to work within an hour," Alec told her after she nearly choked trying to get down the whole glass as quickly as possible. She had taken it at her home, with her parents and Wyatt looking on. Piper, Paige and Leo were continuing the search for Chris in the Manor. Wyatt had been torn between the locations but had ultimately decided to make sure his cousin would be alright.

"How will I know?" Lena asked.

"You'll know," Alec responded evasively.

Alec was right. Half an hour after she ingested the potion, Lena's body seized up. She went stiff, eyes wide. Her veins turned black and bulged beneath her skin. She opened her mouth and gagged, dark liquid seeping down her chin and staining her teeth. Alec leapt forward and shoved an empty trashcan under her face just as she began to vomit. Wyatt cringed and turned away as she puked viscous black liquid.

Wyatt felt anger at whatever nameless demon had inflicted the shadow spy upon Lena and caused all of this. He wanted nothing more than to hunt them down and vanquish them, nice and slow. His hands twitched and he formed and unformed fists over and over as he sat, completely uselessly to the side. He hadn't been able to help Chris, and now his brother was gone. His cousin had been lojacked without him even noticing, and who knew how much information on them the demons had managed to collect by now? Some all-powerful witch he made. He was always so sure of himself and his power, nothing bad could happen to the people he loved as long as he was around, and yet, all of this happened while he was right there. He had failed them, both of them, and thereby had failed his entire family. Wyatt clenched his hands into fists again, hitting them against his knees hard enough to bruise. He felt so impotent, so helpless. He was supposed to protect everybody.

He looked up and saw Lena staring at him through teary eyes. He leveled his gaze with hers, seeing through her veneer of strength and realizing that she was just as scared as he was. He buried his head in his hands. The room suddenly felt suffocating, and Wyatt shrank into himself. He needed to get out of there; he needed to go somewhere else, to do something, _anything_. He needed to fight, to hurt something, to kill something.

Keeping his eyes firmly pointed at the ground, Wyatt stood. He ignored whatever Phoebe was saying to him and promptly orbed out.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was mainly to tie up some loose ends. The part with the orb lights sticking to the blood came out of a scene in an early season of Charmed. Remember Cole had that shadow that he would send down to the Underworld to report on things? And when he shook Leo's hand, some orb lights stuck to his hand? Yeah so that's where my idea came from. **

**Anyway, more to come, and if you have any requests for scenes or need any clarifications, let me know!**

**As always, thank you for reading and please let me know what you thought!**


	17. Distance

A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed!

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 17: Distance

* * *

Wyatt kicked at the pile of demon dust in front of him. He breathed heavily, worn out. He had gone down to the Underworld and stormed the place, demanding information on his brother. The demons had not known much, and so he vanquished as many as he could. It hadn't left him feeling at all fulfilled, and as he finally paused to take a breath, he felt guilt wash over him. His family was searching for his brother, his cousin was having an evil shadow plied out of her, his brother was missing, and he was off having a temper tantrum on demons. Feeling terrible, Wyatt orbed back to the Kalos mansion.

* * *

He found Alec and Phoebe in the drawing room, casting summoning spells in various languages. "Wyatt!" Phoebe said with relief when she saw him. "I was worried. Are you okay?"

He nodded, ashamed. "How's Lena?"

"She locked herself in the bathroom, told us to get away. We tried to get through to her but she wanted to be alone," Phoebe said sadly.

Wyatt nodded, walking up the stairs to Lena's suite. He approached the locked bathroom door, and simply touched the knob, using telekinesis to throw back the lock. What he saw made his heart clench.

* * *

Lena laid on the cold tile, her arms wrapped around the basin. She was too tired to even lift her head, just let it rest on the floor. Spasms wracked through her body and she felt more vomit building up. She tipped the basin, tried to get it underneath her mouth.

"Here," Wyatt said gently as he came up behind her. He propped her up against his chest, the basin in her lap. He rubbed her back as she vomited, and held her hair away from her face. The retching sounds had Wyatt's stomach churning, but he fought the acid down as she jerked against him. She was trembling, and Wyatt leaned forward, whispering quietly to her. Finally she choked and nothing came up so she pushed the basin aside. Wyatt leaned her against the tub and grabbed a glass of water. Her hands shook as she took it from him, rinsing her mouth out three times before drinking some of the water. He put the glass away and stared helplessly at her.

"Wyatt," she whispered, and Wyatt saw tears in her eyes. He crawled across the floor to her, gathering her up in his arms. She clutched him with more force than he thought her capable of and wept into his shirt. "How are we ever going to fix this?" she cried.

Wyatt said nothing, just held her tightly. They remained that way a long while, until Lena's sobs died down and she fell asleep in his arms. Wyatt was lax to move, didn't want to wake her, and he didn't want to lose the moment either. Since her return from Palo Alto, she had been cold and withdrawn, and Wyatt wondered if she would have broken down at all without the medicines running through her body. He deeply feared for Chris, and that only made him want to hold on tighter to Lena, hoping that the great legacy wasn't down to just the two of them now.

* * *

Lena took a turn for the better in the morning. Her veins had returned to their normal blue, and she had stopped vomiting. Wyatt was relieved to see her up and about, only the tiniest of tremors working through her sparingly throughout the day. Her cheeks were rosy and her skin back to a healthy tone. Wyatt thought she seemed more vibrant than she had in months, and he thought that her body had to be relieved to have the burden of dark magic and the shadow removed. They finally gave her the potion to remove the effects of the dust that impeded her power of empathy, and her powers came back to a steady equilibrium.

Unfortunately, with her recovery came the strength to once again hide her emotions behind an impenetrable mask, seeming calm and collected while Wyatt just knew that she was terrified and hurting.

"Why haven't they tried anything?" Wyatt asked as Lena spun a scrying crystal in the attic of the Manor.

"I don't know, Wy," Piper sighed.

"They have the upper hand, they're not going to relinquish it until absolutely necessary," Lena said quietly.

"But what's their goal?"

No one said anything, and Wyatt groaned in frustration. The attic was filled with books borrowed from the magic school library, but nothing was helping. Lena put the crystal down and crossed the room to Wyatt. She rubbed his shoulders lightly in a comforting gesture. "Come on, let's take a little break, clear our heads," Lena suggested. Wyatt turned to her in surprise, but her expression was hard. He looked to his mother who nodded steadily.

"Fine… but only for a little while. What do you want to do?"

"Let's go back to the mansion, spar for a little while."

"Lena…"

"No Wy, we could both use the physical exertion, come on."

* * *

Wyatt jumped out of the way as an arc of flame shot at his head. He looked across the courtyard, straining to see Lena behind the fire and smoke. He sent a surge of energy at her, and watched as she spun a wall of air and water in front of her as a shield. He could finish her if he wanted, and end the whole practice session, but he held back. She was right, fighting it out felt good, took his mind off what was going on. Distracted by his thoughts, he stopped paying attention to the fight just long enough for Lena to lunge at him.

He came back to himself just in time to see her foot inches from his face. He blocked, and aimed a punch at her, forcing her to take a step back. She bounced on the balls of her feet as they began the old dance of blocking and hitting. Neither used their powers, not even having to agree not to, just so used to how this usually goes. Wyatt lost himself in the familiar motions, his body moving of its own accord. Finally she threw him on the ground and he laid there for a moment, catching his breath. She was breathing heavily as well, standing over him, muscles loose but ready if he came at her. Instead, he held his hand out. She helped him up and gave him the first real smile he had seen from her in a while.

* * *

Piper, Paige, and Phoebe stood around the vat of dark liquid that had been expelled from Lena's body. Just in front of them was a circle of strong crystals. Together they recited a spell and watched as a human-shaped shadow slowly rose up. It seemed to blink at them, stare at them, and then it went wild trying to escape. The crystals trapped it, and it bucked and reared against the cage. The Charmed Ones stepped back, surveying it uneasily.

"We should be able to track where's it been going, and so we'll know who it's been reporting to," Paige said, turning pages in the Book of Shadows.

"Do we really want to know?" Phoebe muttered, grossed out by the thing that was making keening noises now.

"If it can help Chris? Definitely," Piper whispered.

They held each other's hands as they recited the next spell, and then waited with some trepidation for it to take effect. There was a momentary pause, and then a great flash of light surrounded the shadow. It screeched and when the light dissipated, it was gone.

Paige breathed hard, rushing over to find the crystals all smashed. "Must have been a defense mechanism," she said. "Some sort of self-destruct code."

"Another lead gone," Piper hissed. "What is it going to take to find these damn demons?!"

"Something tells me…" Phoebe began. "That this will be down to Wyatt and Lena."

* * *

Wyatt threw on his demon disguise and watched Lena apply a deep red lipstick. It would be strange masquerading in the Underworld without Chris, but they needed to know if anyone was amassing forces. Their alter egos were generally accepted as upper level demons, and Wyatt's hope was that someone would try to recruit them.

"So what exactly did you tell our parents?" Lena asked as she checked her appearance in the mirror one last time.

"That we were going to see one of your witch-friends for help," Wyatt responded.

"Did you say which one?"

"Nope."

"Nicely done."

"So… 'Warrick' how do we explain why 'Cadmus' is not with us tonight?"

"Well, 'Lenore', we'll just say that Cadmus is busy with things that are none of their business."

"Of course."

"Alright, you ready?" He held out his hand and she took it, moments later the disappeared into the Underworld.

* * *

Lena was engaged in conversation with a disgusting looking hag. She was vile, but a gossip and thereby a good source of information. "Well someone is planning something huge," the hag said. "I heard that the sorceress Shanqil is involved."

"Shanqil?" Lena asked. She had heard much about the powerful demon, but never met her. Or so she thought. "I thought she was on sabbatical, or whatever she called it?"

"She was. But there have been some rumors that she's returned, more powerful than ever."

"Do you think the Source could be returning?" Lena asked quietly. She could feel someone watching her, and hoped it was Wyatt.

"I'm not sure about that, Lenore. It seems every year someone spreads that rumor. I would love to have his Highness return to us. But perhaps He would prefer to remain in hibernation until someone deals with those accursed Charmed Ones."

"The Charmed Ones have vanquished him twice," Lena agreed.

"Although, I have heard that their children are stronger than them. If that's true, then our Lord may never come back to us."

Lena didn't respond, she had always tried to avoid discussing her family with the demons, not trusting that her reactions would not give her away. A tingling in her mind broke her moment of thoughtful silence. The hag looked up abruptly, staring around the room. "I sense… witch," she muttered.

Lena had sensed it as well, and scanned the room, catching Wyatt's gaze as all of the demons paused. A cloaked figure in the back stood quickly and ran from the room, demons giving chase. Wyatt crossed the room to his cousin, Lena holding a flame, whether to defend the witch or join in the attack she wasn't sure. They both let out a breath as the demons returned, announcing that the witch had gotten away.

* * *

"What witch would be dumb enough to go in there?" Wyatt asked as he pulled off his wig. Lena stared pointedly at him. "Well, you know, other than us."

"She was there when we came in, so she must've been blocking her aura. Something must have made it slip."

"Wait – "she"? How do you know it was a woman?"

"Well, the majority of witches are women, right? So I'd just assume that whoever it was must have been female."

"Could have been a guy."

"Yeah I guess. Anyway, did you find out anything useful?"

"Not really," Wyatt sighed. "Whoever's behind all of this is keeping it close to the vest. You?"

"I got a name – Shanqil. My hag friend seemed to think she was involved in whatever is going on."

"Well it's a place to start," Wyatt said. He was exhausted, but he tried not to show it. Chris was probably tired too, wherever he was, and Wyatt doubted he was able to sleep. Besides, there was no time to sleep when Chris was missing, every second counted. He even felt guilty for taking a break earlier.

* * *

"Shanqil, demon sorceress and priestess," Alec read from an old tome. He was sitting with Lena and Wyatt in the drawing room of his mansion. "Second only to the Seer, she possesses great knowledge of ancient potions and spells, and is one of few demons able to read the ancient language of the Source's Grimoir." Alec read through the rest silently. "Says some more about how she prefers to work for a powerful demon in order to be protected. No known vanquishing potion or spell."

Lena and Wyatt exchanged glances. "There's nothing else? Not even a summoning spell?"

"There's enough about her in here for us to write one if we really wanted to. I don't know if it would work though, the book makes it pretty clear that she's hard to pin down, her magic always changing and strengthening," Alec responded. "If she _is_ involved, then there's even less of a chance that we'll find Chris. She's one of the oldest of demons, and they don't get to be that old without knowing what they're doing."

"Well that's what everyone thought about the Seer, and look what happened to her," Wyatt said with a bit of familial pride.

"Yeah well that wasn't exactly our doing," Phoebe said, joining in the discussion as she walked into the room. "That was more or less the Source. What demon are we talking about?"

Alec filled her in and she took the book from him, staring at the sketchy illustration. "She wasn't around when Cole was the Source."

"It says she goes on frequent magical sabbaticals."

"I've heard of her though," Lena interrupted. "The demons… the way they say her name… they use her as a threat, banking that she could figure out a way to kill us."

"If anyone could…"

"You definitely think she's involved?" Phoebe pressed. The others nodded.

"I wondered after... it's no easy feat to implant a shadow spy in a witch. I couldn't quite figure out who could've been capable of it, but Shanqil – that makes sense," Alec muttered.

"Which means she's already had us once – Chris and I at least. They're not going to kill him," Lena said. The others couldn't quite decipher her tone, if she was relieved or disappointed.

"What makes you think that?" Wyatt said.

"If they were going to kill him, they would've done it back then. This is something more… something worse."

"What could possibly be worse? What are they doing?" Wyatt demanded.

Lena turned to him, apparently not able to voice what was going through her mind, and surprised that Wyatt needed it spelled out for him. Of course, he did not.

"So they turn him evil, so what? We can fix that. We can fix anything. But if he dies, then that's it, we can't do anything about that."

Lena didn't say anything, just stood and calmly left the room. The others watched her but made no move to follow.

"So what now?" Wyatt said quietly, rubbing his face. "Do we try to summon Shanqil, go to her, bake her a pie, what?"

"We leave Shanqil alone," Alec said.

"What?" Wyatt asked with surprise. "But she's part of this! She could lead us to Chris!"

"Or she could kill us, or send us back to the stone age, or turn us into frogs," Phoebe said. "We can't take on Shanqil, and confronting her now would ruin any chance we have of getting to Chris."

"So we're just going to sit on our asses and do nothing?" Wyatt said. He made to stand but his uncle put a hand on his shoulder and forced him back down.

"Going out to vanquish some more? How'd that work for you earlier?" Alec challenged.

Wyatt immediately gave up any pretense of leaving.

"You're going back to the Manor," Phoebe said firmly. "It's already past midnight and you look wasted. You're going to sleep. We'll go over our next move in the morning."

"I don't need to sleep!" he protested. "I need to find my brother!"

"You won't find him when you're exhausted, Wy."

"I'm fine," he said roughly.

"Just go, Wyatt," Alec said. Wyatt turned to him. His uncle sounded tired… defeated. Alec's posture was stiff but Wyatt could see lines of exhaustion in him. It dawned on the blonde witch that none of them had slept since Chris disappeared.

"Alright," he said. "Alright."

* * *

Lena sat on the front steps of the mansion, her head in her hands. Her mind reached out for Chris, searching for him. But she couldn't find him, no glimmer of her cousin. "Chris," she said aloud. "Where are you? Please, I need to know where you are." She reached out again, and this time she felt something. Her mind recoiled against it, a dark, impenetrable shadow. "Chris," she cried. "What have they done to you?" She forced herself to bite back against the pain and fear rising within her, and to push against the darkness. For an instant, she felt Chris beneath it all, and heard his shout of terror. She choked, withdrawing her mind and sobbing. There were things worse than death, she knew that, and she only hoped that she was wrong, that Chris wasn't suffering at the hands of their darkest nightmares.

* * *

Wyatt lay awake. Every time he closed his eyes, terrible images crept into his mind, first of Chris – awful things happening to Chris, and then it moved on and it was Lena being tortured, then his mother, and on until he heard the screams of his entire family. He clutched his blankets in shaking hands. He was so tired, but he couldn't sleep, not with those nightmares plaguing him.

"Lena…" he whispered, wanting his cousin there, not only to comfort him, but to reassure him that she was alright. He felt a flutter in the back of his mind, could feel her across the city. Without thinking, he reached out for her, orbing her into the room with him. She looked surprised as she appeared on the corner of the bed, wearing pajamas and holding a stuffed animal. She tossed the toy aside and reached for him. Wyatt embraced her, holding her close. Eventually they both drifted off, Wyatt's chin against Lena's head, their arms stretched across each other, assuring them even in sleep that the other was still there.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, if you have any requests or questions let me know! Thanks for reading, be sure to review!**


	18. The Return of the King

**A/N: I'm back with another chapter. This is a long one too. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 18: The Return of the King

* * *

Chris had been missing for far longer than any of them cared to consider. And finally they had to address the issue of their "normal" lives. Lena formally took a leave of absence from Stanford, not that she ever expected to go back. And Wyatt took what seemed a drastic step to everyone else when he outright quit his job.

"Halliwell!" Detective Evans shouted as Wyatt angrily tossed the contents of his desk into a box. Lena stood next to him, organizing the items so Wyatt would not accidentally break anything. "Halliwell what's going on?"

"I'm quitting," Wyatt hissed. He threw a book and his nameplate into the box and then reached for a framed photograph.

"Quitting? Wyatt, what the hell?"

Wyatt did not respond, his eyes staring at the photo of himself and Chris. It was from Chris' twenty-second birthday. He had been making a sarcastic remark at Wyatt, unaware of the camera pointed at him, and Lena snapped the photo just as Wyatt pulled Chris into a very awkward hug. The look on Chris' face was priceless.

"Lena, do you care to explain this?" Evans asked. Lena was well-known to most of the detectives as Wyatt's psychic cousin, and she helped them with their cases whenever she was able to.

"My brother disappeared," Wyatt said icily, tearing his eyes from the picture, and handing it to Lena gently so it would not be damaged. She held it close to her and watched Wyatt and Evans talk.

"Oh… Wyatt, man, I'm sorry to hear that. But… shouldn't you stay on the force, to help find him?"

"Trust me, I'll be able to find him much easier without this place," Wyatt said, turning away and signaling that the conversation had ended.

"You can't quit your job just because he's missing," Evans intoned. Wyatt loved his job. He clearly was distraught and not thinking right. "Lena, come on, help me out here. You can't make any major decisions like this right now."

"There's more to this than you know," was all Lena said. In truth, she had tried to talk Wyatt out of it, but Chris was Wyatt's one and only priority now. He seemed to have convinced himself that because of his job he had been distracted and missed opportunities where he could have saved Chris. He could not deal with it, and so he would be Wyatt Halliwell, witch and nothing else. Lena did her best to push aside her own fears and work to help Wyatt. Even before knowing of the other future, Lena could tell that her all-powerful, twice-blessed cousin was emotionally fragile. He would need her help to get through this with himself intact.

Wyatt picked up the box and shuffled away from the empty desk, Lena at his side, her hand resting lightly against his back as they left the station. Lena felt Darryl's eyes watching them go, and was only relieved that he had not tried to approach or talk to them.

* * *

Chris fought weakly against his restraints. He pulled and bucked and screamed in rage, but nothing made any difference. His body felt… different… weighed down, and it seemed sluggish to respond to his commands, as if it wasn't really his anymore. The demons had left him for the moment, and he stared around at the darkened room, at the opening in the floor beneath him, and panted. He didn't know what they had in mind, but he could guess.

Chris felt tears filling his eyes, and tried to hold them back but they soon slid down his face. He was scared, terrified. He wanted his parents, his brother, his family. He needed help.

The demons returned, and Chris tensed in anticipation of the pain that would soon course through him. Once again they began to chant, and Chris howled in agony as evil entered him, channeling through his body.

He squeezed his eyes shut, he couldn't take much more. They would turn him, that had to be their goal. They would turn him and then they would use him to kill his family. He cried in earnest as he thought that. Lena was probably already dead. Wyatt could never harm Chris, even if he was evil and so he would kill his brother, the demons would make him murder Wyatt. And then his parents and his aunts, until there was no one left, until he had destroyed them all. And he would never see any of them ever again. "I'm sorry." The whisper would not have been audible, even if anyone was listening. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Chris tried to fight, but all of his strength was gone. He imagined his family firmly in his mind, recalling their faces. When another wave of pain overtook him, he focused on that image, and he let go.

* * *

Wyatt stood in the attic, trying once again the spell to recall a lost witch. He had rested the photo of him and Chris beside the Book, and stole glances at it every now and then as he worked. His mother had told him it was useless to try the spell again, and she had gone to the kitchen to brew potions with Phoebe. But Wyatt held out hope that if he did it enough timed it would eventually work. He dribbled his blood into the cauldron, but just like every other time, nothing happened.

"Dammit!" Wyatt screamed in frustrated rage, sending the candles and cauldron he had been working with flying. He raged, a rush of telekinesis emitting from him. Potions and shelves lining the walls exploded with his rage, and the shards floated around him.

"Wyatt, what—?" Lena's sudden appearance in the doorway startled Wyatt and he turned abruptly towards her, the wave of anger aiming at her. She screamed as she was sent flying back through the door and plummeting down the stairs. Wyatt heard a snap and then a sickening thud as she hit the ground, falling silent.

"Lena?!" Wyatt called, fear rising in his chest. He mastered his powers, getting himself under control as his heart began to pound. He ran down the stairs after her, panic surging through him. Lena's right leg had curled around the banister in an attempt to stop her descent, the bone snapped from the force of Wyatt's TK. A small pool of blood had formed around her head, and she was unconscious. Wyatt's eyes filled with tears and his hands hovered over her. "Lena, I'm sorry," he whispered, losing control once more and forgetting about his ability to heal as he stared at his unconscious and injured cousin. A sheaf of papers with scrawled spells were clutched in her hand, two potion bottles lay smashed and splattered at the base of the stairs from where she dropped them.

Hearing the commotion, Piper and Phoebe ran out from the kitchen. "Lena!" Phoebe screeched, falling to her knees beside her and taking in the awkward angle of her broken leg, and the rapidly forming blood stain. "What happened?!" Phoebe demanded, caressing her daughter's face and kissing her forehead.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Wyatt repeated over and over, unaware of the people around him.

"Wyatt, _you _did this to Lena?" Piper questioned fearfully.

"PAIGE!" Phoebe screamed, worried about her daughter's welfare. If Wyatt would not heal her then she would damn well find someone who would. The youngest Charmed One orbed in behind Phoebe, immediately gasping.

"Demon attack?" Paige asked as she placed her hands over Lena's head.

"…so sorry…" Wyatt muttered again.

"Piper, could you please get Wyatt out of here? His emotions are killing me," Phoebe said, fingers painfully massaging her temples. With some effort, Piper was able to drag Wyatt to his feet and pull him into the kitchen.

"She looks awful," Paige sighed. A few minutes of healing later, Lena gasped for air and her eyes opened.

"Remind me to never surprise Wyatt again," she muttered as Phoebe helped her sit up.

"Wyatt attacked you?!" Paige demanded.

"He was having a magical temper tantrum in the attic, I should've known better than to march in and startle him," she sighed. She let them help her up, woozy from the fall and the blow to the head. They were leading her over to the couch when she suddenly froze. Her eyes went wide and unseeing as her mind suddenly connected with Chris.

* * *

"Wyatt, I know you're worried about him, but you need to get your emotions under control. Look what happened to Lena, what if you lost it during a demon attack and hurt someone?" Piper said as gently as she could. She hated having to be tough with her children when they were in pain, but she needed Wyatt on top of his game, now more than ever. Since Chris disappeared, Leo had been a wreck, so Piper was forced to be strong for them.

"I know, but I just… he's always been there, you know? I've always been able to feel him, to sense him, and now… there's just this empty hole where he should be. I miss him, and I'm scared…" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm so afraid for him. I can't lose Chris, mom," he cried.

His mother opened her mouth to offer words of sympathy and encouragement, but they died in her throat when they heard Lena scream.

* * *

"CHRIS!!! NO!!" she shrieked, staring blankly at the ceiling, her eyes had gone completely white as she stood, her arms outstretched.

"Lena?" Phoebe said, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her. Paige ripped Phoebe away from her, shaking her head and staring at Lena.

Tears streamed down Lena's cheeks and she let out a primal yell. "Don't go! Don't go!" she shouted. "DON'T GO!! CHRIS, PLEASE!!!" She collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably and rocking back and forth. "NOOO!!!!"

Lena closed her eyes, and Phoebe and Paige ran to her. They held the young woman, trying to bring her back to awareness so she would tell them what she had felt. Wyatt stood frozen in the doorway, his heart sinking as she screamed, assuming he knew what it meant.

A moment later she stopped shaking, and she pushed Phoebe and Paige off of her, standing and looking up again. "Chris," she whispered, her voice shaking.

Her eyes abruptly rolled back in her head and she collapsed into Phoebe's waiting arms.

Tyler orbed in, rushing to Lena's side as he sensed his charge's distress.

Behind them, Wyatt ran up the stairs two at a time, too tense to orb. When he reached the attic he immediately conjured a circle of candles and lit them.

"Hear these words, hear my cry,

Spirit from the other side,

Come to me, I summon thee,

Cross now the great divide."

He held his breath as white lights twinkled within the circle and formed into the shape of a person. A beat later, his Aunt Prue smiled at him, stepping away from the candles and becoming corporeal. "Wyatt!" she said, putting her arms around him. "Not who you were expecting?" she asked when he remained silent.

"I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved," Wyatt admitted.

"If it helps, he isn't up there with us," Prue offered. Wyatt nodded, eyes downcast.

"Once again… disappointed or relieved?" Prue just looked at him, and so Wyatt took a breath and then told her what had happened. "Lena sensed him a minute ago, she was screaming and sobbing… I guess I assumed he had died," Wyatt said, wringing his hands together. "Do you have any idea what happened to him?"

"Even if I did, I couldn't tell you," Prue said sadly. "However, I think you'll have more answers than you have questions very soon."

"You're not a real help here…"

"I know… sorry," she offered with a smile. "All you need to know is that every Halliwell right on back to Melinda Warren will be on hand to help once everything gets ugly," she said, hugging him quickly before stepping back into the circle and vanishing.

With a heavy heart, Wyatt walked back down to the sitting room where Lena was sitting up, holding a glass of water in a shaking hand.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked, sitting in front of her daughter and watching her warily. Lena's eyes had turned back to their usual sea-green, but they seemed troubled. Paige was on the couch next to her, her arm around her niece. Paige had never been the most affectionate person, but Lena looked so fragile sitting there, and the memory of her stiffened body and white eyes frightened her.

"I guess it was one of those times that my powers controlled me, instead of the other way around," Lena sighed. "I felt a little woozy, and then I was suddenly linked up with Chris. He was scared, Mom, really scared. There was something around him, crushing and suffocating him. He'd been fighting it, but he was losing, and I felt him give up…" Tears glistened in her eyes and she squeezed them shut, trying to reign in her emotions. "It hurt so much…"

Piper sucked in a breath to prevent from screaming. Wyatt had stopped breathing altogether.

"I don't know what's happened to him, but I lost the connection. I can't sense him anymore."

Wyatt looked up, meeting Lena's eyes. There was something she was holding back, and he knew it. But he was too afraid to ask her what it was. She broke the gaze, staring down at her hands.

* * *

The demons stopped chanting. Dakian pushed the hood off of his head and stared up at their captive. "Finally," he whispered. "His will was stronger than I had anticipated," he added. The others nodded in agreement. "Prepare the final step."

Shanqil stepped forward and placed a gilded box directly beneath Chris. She looked up at him for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she stepped back into the formation, one demon on each point of the star. Together, they began to chant a new spell.

The box opened, and a swirl of dark dust flew from it and into Chris. It went into his eyes, his mouth, and his nose. His eyes shot open and his body went rigid. When the box was empty, the demons fell silent, holding their breath as they waited.

Chris blinked slowly, still chained to the grate. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them they were flames. He smiled and his body disappeared in a swath of fire, appearing in the center of the star. The demons surrounding him let out awed breaths and knelt before him.

Chris stared at his hands as he slowly moved each finger, clenching them into fists and then releasing them. "Rise my servants," he commanded of the demons around him.

"Welcome back, your majesty," Dakian said, stepping forward towards him.

Chris smiled in response.

* * *

Days and weeks passed, and they grew no closer to finding out what had happened to Chris. Everyone became edgy, angry, and they lashed out at each other with the same ferocity that they clung to each other. Despite countless hours going through books, trips to the Underworld, trips Up There, and research at Magic School no one could find any more information than they had come across within the first week.

At his wit's end, Wyatt was one argument away from seeking out Shanqil, no matter what the others said. If he had been better at spells he might have accomplished it earlier. As it was, a summoning or a locator spell for a demon that powerful was tricky and he needed Lena's expertise.

* * *

Wyatt arrived at the Kalos Vineyard to find it seemingly empty. Storming down the hall he saw that the Vault door was propped open. Entering, he watched Lena mixing a potion, brows furrowed.

"Where'd I put…?" she muttered to herself, reaching towards tiny bowls of chopped herbs. She tossed one in and the potion send a cloud of white smoke into the air. "Finished," she said triumphantly, extracting a vial's worth of potion.

"What's that?" Wyatt asked. Lena started, dropping the vial in surprise. It crashed to the floor, shattering and spilling green liquid across the tile.

"Just a potion," she shrugged.

"What's it do?"

He crossed the room and stood behind her, staring into the pot. "Smells gross," he commented.

"Should taste alright, though," Lena shrugged.

"What's it for?"

Lena looked about to respond evasively, but then she shrugged, defeated. "It's a psychic's potion, I'm going to use it to see if I can connect telepathically with Chris." She looked up at Wyatt.

He just nodded. "Is there a reversal in case something goes wrong?"

"Um… yeah," Lena said, shaking off her surprise at his reaction. "You'd just have to take the potion and add a sprig of parsley then bring it back to a boil."

"Okay." He measured out a dose of the potion and handed it to her. "Have at it."

"Really? I thought you would be against it."

"We need to find Chris," he replied. Lena nodded. "If I could take it, I would. I don't want to risk you, but at this point… we already know Shanqil is possibly strong enough to kill us, and whoever she's working for could be worse. Every day that Chris is missing is one more day closer to all of our deaths."

Lena nodded. She downed the potion in one go, and wavered unsteadily. Wyatt led her to an armchair, lowering her into it and waiting. She closed her eyes, her body relaxing.

She reached out for Chris, using the link she had established with him in the past. Where before she had stopped when met with a wall of dark, this time she went straight through and felt her mind connect with his. Unlike before, he did not respond to her touch, and so she went deeper and found herself staring out of his eyes.

* * *

"You seem well, my lord," Dakian said respectfully from somewhere behind Chris.

"Indeed," Chris responded. He fiddled with the buttons at the top of his shirt. "I am becoming accustomed to this form."

"We did everything we could to prepare it for you, sire."

"I know that. Still, the blood in these veins, the Whitelighter that runs through it is most uncomfortable."

"Perhaps Shanqil can find you some remedy?"

"No, a remedy is not necessary. I simply must become accustomed to it. Besides, there are certain advantages to this new existence."

"Indeed."

Chris paused, cocking his head to the side. "Well, well, well," he muttered with a smile.

"What is it, your majesty?"

Chris strode over to the mirror on the far wall, staring back at his reflection. "How now, Lena Kalos?" he said with a smile. "I sense you." He smirked at his reflection as Chris' green eyes turned to flames.

* * *

Lena gasped and her eyes snapped open. They were completely white for a moment before switching back to her normal teal. "What is it? Did it work?" Wyatt demanded, kneeling in front of her and putting his hands on her shoulder.

"It… no," she said, shaking her head. "No, it didn't work."

Wyatt shot her a crestfallen look, backpedaling and sitting on the floor. "So what do we do now?"

Lena's head was spinning with what she had just discovered and she could barely register Wyatt's question. The implications of Chris'… condition… terrified her. She wanted to tell someone, anyone, but she needed to be absolutely, positively sure before she said anything.

"Lena, what do we do?" Wyatt pressed.

"How should I know?" she snapped. She needed to be alone, she needed to think. She stood, pushing past Wyatt and into the hallway. She hurried out of the house, and into the rows of grape vines.

Wyatt watched Lena go, standing still as he wondered at her reaction. Something had happened, she had seen something. But she wouldn't tell him and he couldn't push her, it would only make her more tight-lipped. He would have to wait. He sighed, and orbed back home.

* * *

Days passed and Lena said nothing about her strange telepathic encounter with Chris. She told no one that she had seen through his eyes, and watched his reflection as those eyes turned to flame. They would know, if she told them, they would know exactly what such an event meant. But she wanted to be sure. She hadn't been able to reconnect with Chris again, despite various attempts, and she was beginning to wonder if what she had seen had been real at all. She spent most of her days at the Manor in the attic with Wyatt and her family as they tried to find Chris, though usually they just went through the Book over and over without finding anything new to help.

Lena was alone for the moment. The others were in the kitchen brewing potions, and she slipping into an armchair, overcome with fatigue. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing her exhaustion to overcome her.

Lena felt herself falling asleep, and for the first time in days she didn't try to stop herself from going under. As her breathing evened out the darkness behind her eyes transformed into a dreamscape, but that was completely foreign to her. Within the dreamscape, she stood before a stone altar at the edge of a cliff. The ground was rocky and jagged, and rose up sharply just beyond the edge of the altar. She peered over the side of the cliff and saw flames rising up, trying in vain to reach her. She drew back sharply and then noticed someone in the shadows surrounding her. Chris was leaning against an expanse of rock, a smile on his face. "I was wondering when you would get here," he said lightly, standing up straight and approaching her.

"You created this?" she asked, motioning to their surroundings, unsure of how to react.

"It makes me feel right at home," he shrugged, his eyes burning for a moment before shifting back to Chris' calm green color. "Why? You don't like it? You of all people?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You like fire, don't you? You use it all of the time anyway…" He stared idly at his nails, waiting for her response.

"What is it that you want?" she finally asked, keeping the altar between them.

"Oh come on little cousin, don't be like that," he smiled, pushing a lock of brown hair out of his eyes as he rounded the altar to approach her. "Why wouldn't I want to spend some quality time with you, Laney?"

"Don't – don't call me that," she said, keeping her distance from him. "You're not Chris."

"But I am him – in a manner of speaking anyway. But of course you've already figured that out."

She bit her lip. "I know what you really are."

"Of course you do." His eyes burned again and he suddenly closed the distance between them in a moment, standing inches from her. "You should be on your knees before me, my dear, head bowed and in awe. Not many witches are allowed to converse with the Source of All Evil, after all."

"All I'm going to do is vanquish you," she whispered, her quavering voice betraying her fear. If she had been awake, if they had been truly face to face then perhaps she could have kept up pretenses, but she does not have that level of control inside of her mind, inside of a dream.

"You're so predictable, Lena," he laughed. She winced and looked away, because he sounded so much like Chris and she had to keep reminding herself that he's not.

"Look at me," he ordered, drawing up against her. He put one hand around her waist and with the other he lifted her chin. She stared at him, and he just appeared to loom over her. She never noticed how tall Chris was before, never been in the position where he would use his height against her like that. She felt small and insignificant beneath his larger form, and Chris' face broke into a grin again, the likes of which she had never seen on his face before. "I'm glad that you're frightened, you should be. Fear is important isn't it? Tell me what frightens you the most, Lena."

"If you're really in Chris' head then I think you already know."

Chris smirked. "Aw, you're afraid of losing the people you love, especially by them turning evil. How sweet. What a selfless fear. Did you know that most people are afraid of death? Irrational, isn't it? But then again you know better, you know that something comes after."

"Is there a point to this discussion?" she questioned him, frustrated by the dialogue.

"I'm just enjoying this lovely mental link you and Christopher share. It makes me wonder what I could do with it, other than listening in on everything you say, intruding upon your dreams, and more or less haunting you every hour of the day. On the plus side, you'll definitely never be alone again."

"What do you want with me?" she yelled, trying to pull away from him, but his grip on her was too strong.

"You're fiery, I like that. Your mother was like that too. Those were fun times, possessing Balthazar and marrying a Halliwell, some of my best work. Not that this isn't good too. I didn't realize ahead of time that by latching onto Christopher I would have unlimited access to your head as well. It's quite the deal there darling, two for the price of one, and just like that, any hope for a new and improved Power of Three with crumble!"

"You sure like to hear yourself talk."

"What can I say, Lena, it's been too long since I was able to." He paused for a moment, drawing her closer. She tried to push him away, but she was frozen, and she finally understood what was happening. Chris might not be telepathic, but the Source is, and he was in control of the dream, to some extent even in control of her within the dream. She shuddered and pressed with her mind against his but to no avail. He smiled, leaning down so that their eyes were nearly level. When he spoke again, she could feel his breath on her face. "You know, I was hoping to become one with your other cousin, Wyatt. Now there's some power. But maybe this is better. See, I think you Halliwells are all essentially the same, and nothing will break Wyatt like his darling brother becoming the Source. I just don't think he'll have it in him to kill his baby brother. What do you think?"

"I think you'd be surprised by what Wyatt is capable of," she whispered, voice hard. She forced her mind to remain blank, did not want her nightmares of the other Wyatt to be laid bare for the Source to see and use against them.

"Ooh, look like Laney knows a secret she isn't willing to share with the class," he laughed. "Doesn't matter. We're connected, you and I, so I'll know eventually." He dipped his head toward hers and she trembled under his hands.

"Leave… just leave…" she choked out as his lips ghosted over her cheekbone.

"Sure, okay. But I'll be back." He paused then, and slid the hand on her waist up to her neck. "Something to remember me by, my dear," he whispered in her ear. At the same time, she felt the hand on the back of her neck begin to burn. She tried to pull away, letting out a cry of pain, but he held her firmly, bending his forehead to touch hers. He moved them, put his mouth against the groove where her shoulder and neck met and bit down, hard enough to draw blood. "And that was for me," he smirked. She stared up at him as he stood to full height, spine straight, looming over her once more. Then all at once he was gone.

The dreamscape evaporated with him and Lena heard someone calling her name in the distance.

She jerked awake, breathing heavily. "Hey, you okay?" Wyatt asked, kneeling next to the chair she had fallen asleep in.

"Yeah… yeah… sorry," she said, running a hand over her face, trying to calm her breathing.

"Here," Wyatt said, holding a hand out to help her up. He stands then, towering over her, and without meaning to, Lena shrank back in the chair. Wyatt froze, confused by her reaction. She shook her head and scrambled out of the room.

* * *

In the safe confines of the bathroom, she stared at her frightened expression in the mirror, willing herself to calm down. Without really wanting to see it, but needing to know if it was there, she pulled back the neck on her sweater, revealing a bite mark on the tanned skin of her shoulder. She shuddered and pushed the shirt over it. Then, with some trepidation, she turned and lifted her hair off of her neck. It took some adjusting to actually see, there was a bright red mark on the back of her neck. She wanted to cry as she saw it, huge and expansive, Chris' hand burned into her skin.

There was a knock at the door and she hastily lowered her hair again. "Lena, you okay in there?" Wyatt asked from the other side. She remembered what she said in the dream, _I think you'd be surprised by what Wyatt is capable of, _and shook her head, trying not to think of her cousins in such a bad light, tried to think of them as playful and harmless like she used to. But she remembered Wyatt standing over her, _"You'll learn to never defy me again"_ and even if it wasn't _her_ Wyatt, sometimes she can see that violence inside of him. And now, Chris was possessed by the Source, and she felt so helpless to stop him that all she wanted to do was cry.

Instead, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Wyatt immediately headed towards her, looking worries, and she held out her arm to stop him. "Just… don't stand so close… okay?" she asked, feeling ashamed. He nodded, swallowing hard as she walked by him. He followed her back up to the attic and slouched in the corner as she opened the Book of Shadows. She sensed Wyatt's irritation, frustration, grief, and rage all too clearly, but she pushed it away. She focused on Chris instead, on the small glimmer of Chris she felt within the Source, frightened and in pain and screaming for release. She was revitalized by her need to save Chris, and dove right back into the research, clearing her mind of all other thoughts.

_"That's right baby, find your answer, and when you do, I'll be right here listening, ready to sabotage whatever you have planned,"_ Chris' voice whispered in her mind.

Lena flinched at the sound and Wyatt leaned forward in his chair, but she shook off her surprise. She closed her eyes for a moment, clenched her fists, and tried her hardest not to scream or cry or rage. "You take point, Wyatt," she finally said, turning and leaving the attic.

* * *

Lena walked until her feet and legs finally protested the movement and she finally slumped down on some nondescript street corner. She leaned against a brick building with her knees pulled up to her chest. She closed her eyes and thought back to before this, before Chris disappeared and even further than that, before Chris started changing, before everything about him became _wrong_. She remembered what it felt like to have him standing next to her, tall and strong and supportive, and she wondered if life would ever be like that again. Even if they somehow saved Chris, would she ever be able to look him in the eye again? Ever be able to stand beside him without wanting to shrink away?

She touched the burn on the back of her neck and winced, knowing that no matter what happened, nothing could ever be the same again.

* * *

**A/N: I would love to know what you thought!**

**Thanks for reading.**

**-Ada**

* * *


	19. Treachery and Disbelief

**A/N: 7 reviews right away? Wow! That means a lot to me, thank you everyone. Encouraged, I whipped this up right away, so enjoy your bonus chapter!**

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 19: Treachery and Disbelief

* * *

"Sire, how would you like to proceed?" Dakian asked. He was seated at a dark table with Chris, Shanqil, and one other demon.

"We cannot leave the Charmed Ones or the other Halliwells unchecked forever," Shanqil pointed out. "As it is, they are still our greatest threat."

"Ah yes, my family," Chris smiled. "They are bothersome, aren't they? But who to pick off first?"

"If I may, sir," the other demon began. "Wyatt Halliwell is the most powerful of all of them. If anyone should be disposed of, it should be him."

"My brother? No, not yet," Chris said, shaking his head.

"Why not, sire?" Shanqil interjected.

"I'd like to play this little game with them a bit longer. After all, quick deaths for them would be very unsatisfying. Still, they have been left idle for some time. Though I can't quite afford to lose any of my supporters right now…"

"I could cast an illusion that would keep them occupied without costing us any lives," Shanqil offered. "It will take some time to prepare, but should be effective."

"What sort of illusion?"

"Anything you would like, my lord. Their greatest fears, their greatest enemies… The illusion could be specific to each witch or they could all share in one."

"Make it specific to each."

"As you wish, sire," she responded. He gestured for her to leave and get things started.

"One more thing sir," Dakian began. "We do need to make plans for the coronation."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Let's put that aside for the time being. I'll use it as my reward for destroying the Halliwells. For now I just need you to scout out new supporters. I won't underestimate my dear family, indeed, I know them better than perhaps anyone."

* * *

Lena was the only person who knew the truth. And while she realized that she should tell someone, should let someone know that Chris had been taken over by the Source, but she didn't. She felt detached, in a fog, as she went about the daily motions of her life. She withdrew from anything involving the search for Chris, as she could no longer trust herself to hear what they were planning. She was twice over a spy. First it had been because of the shadow implanted in her, a foreign entity that her body nearly rejected. This time it was because of the love she held for Chris, love that forged a telepathic connection so strong that the Source could now use it to haunt her.

* * *

"Is this seat taken?" Wyatt looked up to see a man with dark hair and dark eyes motioning to the empty chair across the table from him. The café was filled, and it was the only spot left. Wyatt snapped his notebook closed. He had been working on writing a summoning spell for Shanqil, and had chosen to do it away from the Manor and his family.

"It's free," he said with a tinge of annoyance.

The guy smiled nervously and sat down, and that was when Wyatt caught it. He had sensed something earlier, but now it was clear, he was a witch. Knowing his picking this spot was probably not an accident, he watching him closely, waiting for him to say what he wanted.

"I'm uh… I'm Dylan," he offered, extending his hand.

Wyatt shook it. "I'm Wyatt."

"I know!" Dylan said with a bright silence. "I mean… wow… this is so embarrassing, but you're… you're Wyatt Halliwell! It's like meeting Elvis or something for me, I'm so nervous."

A smile tugged at Wyatt's lips. He had very rarely met people who acted like he was a celebrity and they his biggest fans.

"Oh man, you must think I'm an idiot," Dylan exclaimed. "And I really don't blame you, I sound like an idiot."

Wyatt laughed at that. "Yeah maybe. Did you need something… maybe an autograph?"

Dylan smiled broadly. "No actually. I uh… I came over here because I came across some info on your brother and thought I should tell you. I went to your house earlier… but I couldn't get to the front door. I mean wow, Halliwell Manor? No way could I just go ring the bell, you know--?"

Wyatt leaned forward sharply. "You know something about Chris?" he asked eagerly, cutting off whatever else Dylan might have considered saying.

"I've heard that there's a new mastermind in the Underworld who's been behind the abduction of the Halliwell witch, and the resurrection of the Source."

Wyatt frowned, hoping that one didn't have much to do with the other. But that was ridiculous. Chris was a witch, he couldn't be the Source. "And?"

"The dude's calling himself Dakian."

"Dakian? That sounds familiar."

"I know but Wyatt… thing is, I don't think he's the _real_ Dakian. I mean, go home, read your Book, but the things about him in mine… like small fry, you know? But this dude, trust me, he's bad news."

"How do you know all of this anyway? I've been down to the Underworld, no one's mentioned Dakian."

"Well… when I go undercover, I roll with some pretty strong demons, the sort that can see through psychic barriers and aura spells."

"You're not a pure witch," Wyatt picked up on it, that hint of demon behind the witch.

"No, no I'm not," Dylan said with a shake of his head. "But don't worry, I'm a certified good guy, picked to be a witch at my coming-of-age, so no double-cross."

"Yeah well we'll see. Come on, I want to check the entry on this Dakian guy. You can tell me the rest on the way." Wyatt led Dylan out of the café and into the bright San Francisco afternoon.

* * *

Wyatt pulled back as they entered the attic. "That's the Book over there," he said, pointing to the podium. Why don't you grab it, we'll look at it over on the couch. Dylan shrugged his assent and walked over. Wyatt's eyes narrowed as he reached for it, and a wave of relief crashed over him as Dylan scooped the Book into his arms and walked it across the attic.

Dylan noted the look on his face. "What, is it rigged to explode or something?"

"Only if you were lying to me earlier," Wyatt responded. He took the Book from Dylan and opened it to the index. Finding the page number, he flipped it open to the right entry. The page was small, and there was only the smallest illustration of a hooded figure in the top corner. "Dakian," he read. "A lower level middle-man, he can be called upon for requests by any creature. He will to the best of his ability, arrange for whatever the caller needs, for a price. Dakian is not a threat, for he is relatively harmless." Wyatt turned to Dylan. "You're sure this is the right guy?"

"Yeah you see what I mean? It's weird."

"He's such a wimp that there isn't even a vanquishing potion," Wyatt pointed out.

"Yeah I know. But my information's right, so it's possible that whoever this guy is, he's just using Dakian's name."

"But why? Why take the name of a weaker demon?"

The front door opened and slammed shut below them and Wyatt paused for a moment to sense out who it was. Dylan looked to him. "My cousin," Wyatt explained. "LENA!" he called. "Get up here!"

There was a sound of footsteps and she appeared in the doorway. "What is it, Wy?" she asked. "Oh… hi. Who are you?"

"Lena, this is Dylan. He had some information for me. Check it out." He handed the Book to her and she walked back over to the podium to put it down. She stood there silently reading. The two men got up and joined her.

"What's this supposed to be about?"

"Apparently, someone calling himself Dakian is the mastermind behind what's going on in the Underworld. Dylan thinks he was the one who took Chris."

"But according to the Book, he's nothing."

"Another demon could be using his name," Dylan piped in. "I mean, who would expect that, right? You've probably breezed by this entry already without even considering him."

"He's got a point," Wyatt said. "But look… thanks Dylan but I think you should leave this to me and my family now."

Dylan glanced between Wyatt and Lena, disappointment on his face. "Oh, um… yeah of course. Let me just give you my phone number in case… in case you need anything."

Wyatt arched an eyebrow but Lena just handed him a pad of paper and a pen. He rested the pad on top of the Book and as he scrawled the last number he paused. "Do you see that?" he asked.

"What?" Wyatt and Lena said.

"There's something on the page."

Lena leaned towards the Book and saw what he saw, dusty fingerprints staining the paper, poised just below the instructions. She sniffed at it. "That's… black pepper? It's one of the ingredients for the summoning spell."

"Someone's called for him… recently," Wyatt said with rising horror. "Who would have done that?"

Lena sucked in a breath and then placed her hand directly above the smudge. She gasped and closed her eyes as a vision sucked her in. What she saw disturbed her more than she could imagine.

"Whoa, what happened? Are you okay?" Dylan asked.

"I'm fine, it was just a vision. But you need to go – now."

"Okay, okay," he replied.

She exchanged a significant look with Wyatt as they walked him to the door. She shut the door behind Dylan and then leaned against it. She replayed the vision over and over again in her mind. Of all of the people to use magic to betray them, she never would have thought that it would be Paige's daughters.

"Who was it?" Wyatt whispered harshly.

"Prue and Nel," Lena said, anger rising inside of her.

A dark expression crossed Wyatt's face. "Where's Aunt Paige?"

"She's at home I think. Everyone else is at the vineyard."

"Alright. We need to get everyone here to settle this. I'll go to Aunt Paige, you call everybody else," Wyatt said. Lena nodded.

* * *

"We're here, now tell me what this is all about," Paige said sternly. Wyatt looked passed her to the twins sitting beside each other on the couch in the sunroom. They looked uncomfortable, out of place… guilty. The point of calling this family meeting was to get the whole story, but he knew, knew just by looking at them now that they had betrayed Chris. He never thought it was possible to hate your own family, but he was beginning to understand it.

Lena pushed past him, Book of Shadows under her arm. The expression on her face was one of carved stone. He shuddered under her brief gaze before joining the family in the sitting room.

When everyone had assembled, Lena opened the Book of Shadows. She threw it down in front of Prue and Nel, opened to the page labeled "Dakian." Not trusting herself to speak, she glared from the page to their stunned faces.

"I…" Prue began. "How…?"

"Did you summon him?" Wyatt asked.

Lena sensed dishonesty in Prue's thoughts and growled in response. "I can read your thoughts, Prudence."

Prue gulped, not able to look up at Lena or Wyatt. Instead, she stared at the page. "Yes," she hissed.

"Yes, what?"

"I summoned Dakian."

Paige gasped, and the others were shocked. Lena just held her breath, because that wasn't the worst of it. "And what did you do after?" Wyatt asked.

"I… he just… he asked us to… to do things for him," Prue said, trapped.

Tears spilled down Prue's cheeks as she admitted her sins to her shocked and stunned family. She told them about the crystal, Chris' hair, and the book they stole. She hesitated before admitting to the rest, knowing that it would not go over well. "I didn't know he was going to do this," Prue cried.

"You gave them a lock of Chris' hair, the Book of Souls from Magic School, and implanted a listening device in the Manor?" Lena verified, the only one who had recovered from shock so soon.

"Yeah… and then…" she began, sniffling.

"And then WHAT?!" Lena demanded, her eyes burning with fury.

"I… I sprinkled some stuff… on you while you were sleeping." Lena's face briefly turned white. "And I… I slipped a potion he gave me in Chris' wine glass."

"You—you—you WHAT?!" Lena screamed, fire igniting on her fingertips as the ramifications of this admission washed over her.

A moment later the rest of the room came out of their stupor, all screaming simultaneously at the twins.

"If Chris dies I am coming after you!" Lena screeched, and they both knew it was no idle threat.

"How could you betray your own family?!" Piper asked with ire. "What could possibly make you do that?"

"Where can I find Dakian, Prue? Tell me!" Wyatt roared. "Tell me so I can kill him! Where is he?!"

"I cannot believe this, I can't believe this, no, no, no, no, no," Leo mumbled over and over as he began to give in to despair.

"Did you even think before you decided to hand over your cousin to this demon?!" Phoebe yelled.

Paige stayed silent, her head in her hands. Her daughters had sold out Chris to the Underworld, and now he was gone, and it was all her daughters' fault. She must be a horrible mother.

"What did you get for it?! What was worth more to you than Chris' life?!" Lena screamed, her voice and emotions carrying above everyone else's and making the twins wince.

"He stripped our powers!" they answered simultaneously.

"So… wait… he threatened you and you couldn't defend yourselves, right?" Paige asked, feeling she might be able to deal with it if that was what happened.

"No… we did what he wanted so that he would take away our magic, all of it," Nel answered, shame coloring her cheeks. "And he did. We're not witchlighters anymore."

For the second time that night, the Halliwells found themselves shocked speechless. And in the absence of speech came violence. "Traitors!" Lena shouted, her own emotions increased by the anger radiating from the room, as flames shot out of her hands at them. The two quickly ducked, running away from their enraged relative. "You would betray your family in exchange for a 'normal life'?! How could you do that?! You worthless little--!" When she tried to attack again, she felt herself restrained. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Wyatt, expression stone cold holding her arms back. He shook his head in lieu of a response to Lena's questioning glance. Phoebe appeared beside her daughter, holding onto her as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Their lives no longer in danger, Prue and Nel turned to their mother. "Mom… you… you understand, right? You aren't… disappointed?" Nel asked, her voice wavering.

"Yes I am disappointed. I have never felt so awful in my entire life. My own daughters provided a demon with everything he needed to abduct and do god-knows-what to my nephew. I just cannot believe this," she whispered, her words filled with fury. "Just… get out of here… we need to talk more, but not right now, just go into the kitchen," Paige said. They did as she said, Nel casting a guilty glance back at her family as she passed through the doorway.

Wyatt finally released his hold on Lena, sinking onto the couch as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just been revealed. He deflated slightly.

"Our own family," Lena whispered. She glanced over at the couch, realizing that she had been sleeping there when Prue poured the magic dust on her. She leaned forward, resting her head in her hands.

Piper and Leo drew close together, but didn't say anything. The betrayal and its cost rang in their minds too loudly for other thoughts.

"It was a perfect way for Dakian to get to him, using family," Alec said.

"Yeah well, we wouldn't think we had to protect ourselves against each other," Phoebe added.

"She poisoned his wine… right here, during a family dinner." Alec shook his head. "They had access to the house, to the Book, to everyone here."

"Yes, Alec, we know!" Paige snapped. "You don't have to review it all, we know that."

Alec fell silent, looking away from her.

"Is everybody calmed down?" Phoebe asked. "Because we need to ask them some more questions." She glanced significantly at Lena and Wyatt. They both nodded. Phoebe left for the kitchen, and appeared a moment later, ushering the girls back into the room. They pointedly stared at the floor as they sat side-by-side.

Phoebe took a breath and asked, "Where did you put the crystal Dakian gave you?"

Prue shakily pointed to the credenza in the hallway. Wyatt stood and stormed over to it. He pushed aside the plant and revealed the large crystal. He held it level with his face, staring into it before he used all of his might to throw it at the wall. It shattered in a shower of sparkles.

"Prue…" Lena said slowly. "Did… did Dakian look any different after the first time you saw him?"

"What do you mean?" Prue asked, keeping her distance from Lena.

"Just… how did you get in touch with him?"

"We summoned him," Nel offered. "He was cloaked though, we never saw his face. He said he would consider what we wanted and come up with the price. The next time we met him in the park and he was still cloaked but…"

"But what?"

"But… his voice sounded different," Nel realized. "And he… he seemed much more powerful than he should've been."

Lena nodded wearily. She looked to Wyatt. "The… whoever this demon is, he must've found out that Dakian was contacted by them."

"And so he… he used them to get to Chris?"

"Wait… what?" Prue asked. "It wasn't really Dakian?"

"We don't think so," Wyatt said. "The real Dakian wouldn't have been capable of this."

Prue looked about to ask another question, and Paige's eyes snapped to hers, frustrated. "We're done, right?" Paige asked. The others exchanged glances and then nodded. "Go home, go home right now and do not come back here, do you understand me?" she growled at her daughters. The pair did as they were told.

"I am so sorry," Paige said heatedly.

"What? What are you sorry for?" Piper questioned.

"For what they did, I just can't believe it."

"Honey, that is not your fault," Piper sighed, moving to sit behind Paige and pull her into a warm hug.

"We have to summon Dakian," Wyatt announced. The others nodded.

"But first, let's fortify the house a little," Phoebe suggested. "We don't want any unexpected guests." Phoebe and Wyatt trooped up the stairs to find supplies, but the rest of the family stayed in the sunroom.

Lena felt frozen inside. She knew her twin cousins held no great love for her or Wyatt, but she always thought that they liked Chris. How much did you have to hate someone to turn them into their worst nightmare? Lena thought of Chris, smiling at her with flaming eyes.

A thought suddenly dawned on her. If they succeeded in summoning Dakian, he might tell them what became of Chris, if only to shock and hurt them. She couldn't let that happen. It would be better for them to hear it from her than from a demon. She shook her head. She didn't want to say it out loud, she didn't want to acknowledge that it was really true. And sometimes she wished it was just a bad dream, just something her subconscious had created. But she knew better; she knew truth from lies. She had to tell her family what had happened to Chris.

Once Phoebe and Wyatt had finished laying out protection crystals and sigils, they renewed talk of finding Dakian. "If he took Dakian's name… then the summoning spell might work," Wyatt said.

"Wait…" Lena said hesitantly. "I have to tell you all something." They turned to her. She couldn't figure out how to put it kindly, how to say it in a way that would hurt less, so she just blurted it out. "Chris is…. Chris is the Source."

"The source of what?" Piper asked, confused.

Lena frowned. "The Source of all Evil," she explained.

Wyatt looked up at her in shock. "What?! How could that be?!"

"I don't know," Lena shook her head, eyes filling with tears. "Dakian must've… he must've done something to Chris."

"Lena it's not possible," Wyatt said. "It's not. He's a witch, and more than that, he's a Whitelighter. A witchlighter can't be the Source."

Lena glanced at her mother and then turned back to her cousin. "I don't know how he did it, but he did. And I'm not making this up. I've seen Chris… I've spoken to him."

Wyatt rounded on Lena, and she shrank back. "You've _spoken_ to him?! When?!" he demanded.

"D…Days ago," Lena said, backpedaling. "When I… I saw him when I took that psychic potion, but I didn't know what it meant."

"You saw him!" The rage Wyatt had quashed earlier rose again. He grabbed Lena by the shoulders and shook her. "You told me it hadn't worked!"

Alec's strong arms came between them, forcing Wyatt away from Lena. "Back off!" Phoebe shouted, moving in front of her daughter. Lena backed into the wall, turning to hide her face from her family as fear shuddered through her. Phoebe cast an anxious glance at her, and put a comforting hand on her arm.

"We don't know anything for sure," Leo suddenly said, stepping forward.

"I wouldn't make this up," Lena said quietly.

"I'm not saying you did. But sometimes… our minds play tricks on us, Lena. You know that. We've all been overtired, and you said you took a potion? They're never absolute." Leo was grasping at straws, but he wouldn't believe Lena no matter what she said. He wouldn't believe it until he saw Chris himself. So Lena remained silent, not knowing what else she could do to convince them. Piper and Paige didn't say anything, but turned to Leo with hope and trust. Phoebe and Alec exchanged a serious glance but likewise were silent.

Wyatt seemed pacified by his father's words. He turned sympathetic eyes on his cousin as the family filed away to begin preparations to summon Dakian, Phoebe only leaving when Lena assured her that she was alright. Lena turned her back on Wyatt as he approached her. "Hey," he said softly. He reached out and stroked her arm. "I'm sorry I reacted like that. I'm sorry I scared you."

"I know what I saw," Lena replied.

"Come on, it's been a stressful enough day. Why don't you go lie down while we get things ready to summon Dakian?" he suggested.

Sleeping was the last thing Lena wanted to do, but she nodded anyway, desperate to be away from everyone. She remembered Chris – the Source's – promise that he could hear see through her eyes and shuddered. She shouldn't be there for the summoning. "Go on upstairs to my room," he said. "I'll call you when we're ready."

When Lena reached the bottom stair, she paused and turned to Wyatt. "Being a witch… a whitelighter… it doesn't make you immune to turning evil. It just makes it harder."

Wyatt didn't say anything, just stared at her as she finally turned and walked up the stairs. There was some hidden meaning in her words that he couldn't quite figure out. He didn't think she meant him to really understand it. But still, he couldn't believe that his brother had become the Source. That would be the complete opposite of everything he had ever fought for. He had protected his brother for years, and he couldn't accept that the absolute worst had happened to Chris.

* * *

Chris stood before a mirror, looking at the green eyes staring back at him. "Christopher Halliwell," he mumbled. "Are you in there?" He took a step back, sighing and turning away.

"My Lord?" Dakian said quietly.

"Ah, Dakian, my man. I think we should push up the coronation after all."

"Why the sudden change, sire?"

"The Halliwells are on to you. The twins confessed their sins to their family."

Dakian hissed. "The stupid brats. I should have killed them long ago."

"Now, now, Dakian. That would have overplayed our hand. Still, I would like to take the oath soon. It will send ripples through our world and theirs, but it's necessary. And I want the Elders to realize just how much their mistake will cost them."

"Very well, sir. Would you like Shanqil to abort her plans for the illusions?"

"No, she can continue on with that. As for you, you should take precaution against being summoned. Even now they're creating a crystal cage to house you."

"How do you know this?" Dakian questioned.

"I have a very special connection to that family, Dakian."

Chris turned away with a smile. He closed his eyes and saw Lena lying on Wyatt's bed, curled in on herself. "It's alright Lena, they'll all believe you soon enough."

* * *

**A/N: So the truth comes out at last! **

**I hope Leo and Wyatt didn't seem dumb when they shrugged off Lena's admission about Chris being the Source. There will be further explanation later for their dismissal, and besides, some things you need to see for yourself to believe, right?**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! As always I would love to know what you thought!**

**-Ada**


	20. Of Oaths and Doubles

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 20: Of Oaths and Doubles

* * *

"Lena," Wyatt whispered, leaning into his bedroom. "Come on, we're ready."

Lena feigned sleep, eyes closed and breathing even. She couldn't go downstairs, couldn't let the Source watch her family's attempts to call Dakian. She had probably already compromised it, but she would try to be better, to hear less, from now on.

"Lena?" Wyatt said, stepping into the room. "Wow, she's really asleep," he said. He decided to just leave her, she hadn't slept enough in the past weeks, and after all, they didn't need her for the summoning. He crept out of the room, closing the door behind him quietly.

* * *

"We should try it again," Piper said impatiently from her place at the podium with her sisters. Before them was an empty crystal cage. The summoning spell they had so meticulously written and re-written hadn't worked.

Alec entered the attic after a brief absence. "Did it work?" he asked. The witches shook their heads in exasperation.

Leo sighed, "It's not working. He must be shielding himself. Or else we need to know his true name. Either way, repeating it won't help."

"Well then what should we do?" Wyatt asked.

"Let's write another version," Phoebe suggested.

Wyatt banged his head against the table. "Why is nothing working?! I just want to tear something's head off."

"Yes, yes, I know how you feel."

Wyatt looked up. His family was gone, disappeared, and in their place stood… Wyatt. This other Wyatt was leaning against the podium, his hand inches from the Book.

"Who are you?" Wyatt asked.

"I'm you, can't you see that?" the other Wyatt laughed.

"Where did everyone go? Mom! Dad!"

"They're not here. It's just you and me. After all, we're the only ones who matter."

Wyatt narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. Instead, he searched for some sign of his family; he tried to sense for them. But everything was distorted, as if they were all separated by water. "We're the strongest of them all. We're the best. All of this "power of three" crap, and forcing us to work with Chris and Lena, it was all designed by our parents to hold us back. Can't you see that? They don't want us to be great."

"My family doesn't hold me back," he replied. "We're stronger together."

"No. They make you weak. Just look at you, crying over Christopher. What happened to him would never have happened to you. He's weak – weak in body and weak in soul."

"He's one of the strongest witches in the world," Wyatt said angrily.

"Not compared to you. Compared to you he's a nothing; they all are. You're the special one, the chosen one. He's just baggage."

"Stop saying that!" Wyatt shouted. He couldn't concentrate on sensing anymore, couldn't concentrate on anything except the smiling distorted mirror of himself.

"Why so angry? Because you know I'm speaking the truth?"

"You're not real! You're some sort of illusion sent to trick me," Wyatt said. "Mom! Dad! Don't be fooled by what you're seeing! It's not real!" he shouted, believing his family to be in the same situation as him.

"They can't hear you," the other Wyatt admonished. "You're all alone. It's just you and me."

Wyatt growled. Fed up, he aimed a blast of energy at the imposter Wyatt. A blue shield formed around the fake and he went untouched. Wyatt formed his own shield and attacked again, just as the imposter sent a wave of energy at him. The two energies met in the middle and both increased the volume of theirs. But they were evenly matched, and so when the tension became too much, a great explosion erupted and threw both of them backwards. Wyatt hit the ground on his back, sprawled up against the wall. Fearing for the sacred items in the attic, he attempted to orb away, but he hit up against some sort of barrier and was forced back down.

"Going somewhere?" the other Wyatt asked, pushing himself back onto his feet.

* * *

"Give it up, we're evenly matched," the other Wyatt said.

The real Wyatt paused, picking himself up off of the floor for the tenth time. "No… no we're not. You're stronger than I am, aren't you?"

The other Wyatt smirked. "So you've realized that?"

"There's something… your aura is different than mine, you have something that I don't."

The doppelganger smiled and a as he did, a shining sword appeared in his hands. Its raw power bent the air around them, and Wyatt's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"That's… that's…"

"Excalibur," the double said with reverence. Wyatt felt that he wanted to fall to his knees before it and weep. Either that or seize it from the imposter's hands, seize it and use it to slice through him. Instead he just stood dumbly, staring at the glorious sword. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen the sword before. He had on many occasions, and he had held it, wielded it. But this was different. This was Excalibur as it was meant to be, bonded completely with the only one worthy of holding it; its great magic unleashed. The weapon held magic of its own; magic powerful enough to overtake anyone who held it.

"You've missed out, Wyatt," the doppelganger said. "The power this blade will give you… you only have to take it. Take it and you can save your family, you can even rule the world as you see fit!"

Wyatt paused, considering this. For most of his life the sword had been kept safely in the stone, awaiting such a time as Wyatt was ready to wield it. But why? If he was the true heir to Arthur then shouldn't he have had it beside him all along? He imagined holding it in his hands, watching as witches and demons cowed before it. He could do anything, no one could stand against him. Even the Source would cower before him; would offer him anything he wanted if only to spare himself. Wyatt smiled at the thought. He could save Chris.

* * *

Lena froze at the sight of the Source in Chris' body standing before her. He was in Wyatt's bedroom, he had gained access to the Manor! She feared for the others and sensed desperately for them. But she could not get a clear signal, it was all distorted. She paused at that revelation, and then looked at Chris again. Something about him was… false. She reached out with her mind but could not locate him. He wasn't really there.

He was talking, but Lena wasn't listening. "I know he's not real," she announced. "Who's behind this? Are you listening to me now? It must be you – Shanqil. Did you really think that you could fool me?"

Abruptly Chris disappeared, and a cloaked demon woman appeared in his place. "I suppose I shouldn't have even tried it on you," Shanqil said.

"You're casting yourself as an illusion?" Lena said. "Not woman enough to meet me face to face?"

"I rarely meet anyone face to face," Shanqil replied. "Such is the prerogative of a sorceress."

"Noted. What is the point of all of this? Why play games with us, why not just face us?"

"My Lord likes to play with his enemies," Shanqil shrugged. "I had hoped that after so many vanquishes he would have given up that particular personality quirk, but alas he has not. He still prefers to take his time; make it last."

"So we have some time?"

"There are many Halliwells," Shanqil said. "He does not need all of them."

"Why tell me this?"

"Why not? You cannot do anything to stop us; you are merely along for the ride, like the rest of your family."

"We Halliwells have defeated the Source before."

"Yes, but a Source that is a Halliwell?  
Shanqil smiled at Lena's silence. "Your family's love is its greatest strength but also its greatest weakness. You know this. There is no good future for the Warren line, no matter what you may change. You of all witches should realize the truth. The height of your line has already been reached, the Charmed Ones were always to be the peak. The rest of is just a steep decline."

"No, that's a lie!" Something fluttered at the back of Lena's mind but she ignored it; the rage that had been slowly building for weeks now finding an outlet. "Neither Elders nor demons can destroy this family, no matter how hard they try. You may have stolen Chris, but we'll get him back! You mark my words, we'll figure out a way to save him, and when we do… when we do, we will come after you with everything we have. I suggest you worry about what you'll do when we finally meet face-to-face. We're done with this conversation." As she turned away from Shanqil she saw a smirk light up the demon's face. Lena gasped. Their conversation had been a ruse; Shanqil had been distracting her. She opened her mind, searching for her family. She heard her mother and her aunts screaming in horror, but worse yet, she saw an image of Wyatt standing face-to-face with a dark version of himself, reaching for Excalibur.

"WYATT!" Lena screamed, break from the illusion and tearing from the room. She stumbled up the stairs, tripping and hitting the floor with her knees. She scrambled back to her feet and cleared the last few steps up to the attic. What she found had her backpedaling. Her family was assembled as if preparing for a summoning, but no one was moving. Their eyes were open and empty. She looked from one to the other, trying to figure out who to go to first. Her instincts kicked in and she went to Wyatt. As soon as she touched him, she was brought into the illusion with him.

* * *

Wyatt reached for Excalibur with greedy eyes. "Wyatt, stop!" Lena called from somewhere behind him. He started, and turned towards her.

"What are you doing here?"

"This isn't real, Wy. Shanqil's tricking you! That's not even the real Excalibur, and I don't know what'll happen if you touch it but you have to step back!"

Wyatt cast regretful eyes at the sword in the double's hand but fought the urge to take it. He scrutinized Lena, trying to figure out if she was real or if she was just another part of the illusion.

_"It's me," _her voice whispered in his head. Wyatt crossed the room to stand beside his cousin. She reached out to him and he took her hand in his, staring at the false Wyatt.

"What do we do?" he asked, positioning himself so he was slightly in front of her – just in case.

The other Wyatt eyed them warily.

"Are you okay?" Lena whispered to him, tightening her grip on his hand.

"I'm fine, but we have to get out of this. What about… remember on my birthday, you like shut everybody down? Can you do that again?"

"I don't know…"

"Well try!" Wyatt said with exasperation.

"Okay, okay." Wyatt watched as she closed her eyes tightly. He felt a familiar jarring in his skull as a white light exuded from her head.

"Well done, witch," the fake Wyatt smiled.

Wyatt shut his eyes.

* * *

When Wyatt opened his eyes again it was to find the attic exactly as it had been before the false Wyatt had arrived. The only difference was that Lena was clutching his arm and his relatives were frozen in place.

"So it worked then?" he asked.

"I guess so," she replied. She went to each person and touched them, bringing them out of their frozen states. Piper ran to Wyatt the moment she opened her eyes. She clutched him tightly as if reassuring herself that he was alright.

Phoebe pulled her daughter against her with a sigh of relief while Alec drew closer to both of them. "We were caught in an illusion," Phoebe explained. "But it seemed so real."

"That was Shanqil," Lena explained.

"What did she make you see?" Wyatt asked.

Piper shook her head, pulling away from Wyatt. "It's not important, honey. Are you alright? What did she show you?"

"Me. She showed me myself – or, what I would be like if I went to the other side."

Everyone exchanged glances at that. "What do you think she wanted?" Paige said. "Was it just to remind us that they're still out there – what?"

"I don't know, but… Aunt Paige, I think you need to get Prue and Nel someplace safe," Lena spoke up as she remembered Shanqil's assertion that there were Halliwells disposable enough to be killed early on. "They would be easy targets now."

"You're right, I should've thought of that earlier. I could… I'll figure something out. I'll be back." Paige orbed away.

* * *

Prue and Nel looked up from where they sat at the kitchen table with their father when they heard orbs coalescing. Mark squeezed Nel's hand gently as Paige appeared. Her eyes hardened when she gazed upon her children, and Nel turned away. Prue met her mother's stare but said nothing.

"Hey honey," Mark greeted, trying to make light of the nervous tension that filled the room.

"Hi. Girls, your father and I need to talk, go up to your rooms."

The two quickly did as she asked, although Prue paused at the door and looked at her mother, mouth open as she wondered if she should speak. She decided not to, and followed her twin up stairs.

"What's going on?" Mark asked softly. "Have you made any progress?"

"Not much," Paige answered, sinking into a chair. "Lena thinks… no never mind."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, but thank you for asking," Paige sighed. "Although… I have to move the girls to safety. They don't have their magic anymore so… they couldn't even orb away if they were attacked."

"Where do you want to take them?"

"I don't know. I figure Magic School would be the best place but… I mean if Chris were evil, could he get there? And the girls wouldn't be able to leave if something happened."

"What about my mom's? Would the demons think to look there?"

"I can't put her in that situation. And it's very possible that Dakian can track them, so nowhere is safe."

"Maybe you should just take them back to the Manor."

"No, definitely not. They can't be there right now, not while… this was their fault, Mark. How could this have happened?"

"I think I know…" he said quietly. "And you're not going to like my answer."

"What? What is it?"

"They told you, they told you over and over that they wanted no part in that world. You never listened. Was it really that impossible for you to believe that some people would not want to be witches?"

"They're Halliwells, it's not a choice, it's their destiny."

"And yet… your sisters, you, none of you knew what you were or had to deal with all of this until you were old enough to handle it. You could've bound their powers any number of times."

"And the demons could have killed them if I did that. This family is a target."

Mark looked away.

"What? What?! Tell me what I could have done differently!"

"You could have listened to them, Paige, really listened! I tried to tell you before – I tried to tell you how much they hated it."

"I thought it was just a phase, some sort of teen rebellion thing. None of that matters now, what's done is done, and what they did…"

"They never meant to… to betray Chris," Mark said. "They just wanted to get out of all of this."

Paige shook her head. "I can't deal with this right now. I just need to figure out what to do with them."

"Maybe I should take them away."

"Away where?"

"Anywhere! I…" He fingered a piece of paper in his hands.

"What?"

"Alec called before… just after the girls got home… he gave me the address of some witches in Michigan that could house us until this is over."

"House you? Mark; the family has to stick together."

"They need to be protected. You said yourself that Magic School isn't safe enough; these witches know the risks and they've offered to protect us."

"Alec gave you that address? So that's why he wasn't with us for the summoning. What business does he have butting in right now?"

"He's just trying to help," Mark said. "You, your sisters, you all have a lot on your plates right now. This'll be for the best, you won't have to worry about the girls or me this way."

"I don't like it, I don't even know those witches."

"What other choice do we have?"

* * *

The Source stepped into a cavern lit brightly by torches. There was no one by his side as he entered under the piercing stares of the strongest demons. This was something he was accustomed to; he had walked this same route once, with Phoebe Halliwell on his arm. Back then he had been Cole, now he was Chris.

There were tense whispers as he took his place at the podium on which the Grimoir sat. Shanqil bent her head from beside it, while Dakian simply beamed. He rested his hands on the book, closing his eyes with reverence as he felt the ancient magic running within its pages. The skin on his hands hissed, and when he cracked his eyes open he thought he saw orb lights shining beneath them. He simply pressed them down harder, forcing away the residual magic of the body he resided in.

Taking a deep breath, he began the chant that would seal his position as the Source of All Evil, the greatest power that existed. As the last word passed through his lips a ripple of powerful magic exuded from him. I would be felt on every plane of existence, and anyone who doubted that the Master had returned would now realize their folly.

* * *

The shudder of magic passed through the Halliwell Manor with sudden ferocity. The witches clutched at their chests, their knees weakening. Wyatt reached for his cousin, grabbing her before she could fall. He dropped to the floor, Lena lying on top of him, both of their eyes wide.

"What was that?" Wyatt gasped as it finally passed. The rest of the family had felt it, but seemingly not with the same intensity as Wyatt and Lena, as they had remained standing.

Phoebe stared down at the pair of them, shaking her head. "It's the Source, he's back," she said. "He's said the oath in the Grimoir."

"Chris…" Lena whispered so low that no one could hear her.

Wyatt stood, pulling Lena up with him. "So… what do we do?"

"I'm going to report to the other Elders, make sure they know what's happened," Leo said. "Maybe they'll be able to tell us what we should do next." Without waiting for a response, Leo orbed away.

"Now what?" Lena whispered.

"We should all stay here, find out what the Elders have to say to Leo," Alec suggested.

"I'm going to try scrying for Dakian," Phoebe announced. "Piper, why don't you help me?" The oldest sister obliged.

Lena looked to Wyatt, as if repeating her question.

Wyatt did not respond. He walked slowly to the podium that held the Book and began flipping pages until he reached the one that described the legend of King Arthur and his magical sword, Excalibur.

* * *

Leo had no intention of telling the Elders of the induction of a new Source. He used it as an excuse to go Up There. He needed help.

The illusion the sorceress Shanqil had forced him into played over and over in his head. It was a mangled mesh of images that she had shown him. He had seen Chris chained to a grate writhing in pain as something dark and evil coursed through him. He heard his son's scream surely as if he had been there beside him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach him. The other image that hung in his memory was that of Chris, tall and strong, with eyes of pure flame, reaching out for a five-year-old Chris. He smiled, his expression full of bloodlust as he grabbed the little boy by the throat. As the boy choked, Chris smiled and the two went up in flames. Both Chris, both his son, and both burning as the older version cackled and smiled and the younger struggled and gasped for air.

Though he knew it was just an illusion, it felt so real to him that the fear and agony he had held at bay for weeks came rushing back with full force. So he went Up There, desperate for someone who could help him.

* * *

Leo's heart banged against his ribs, beating fast and loud. The sound of his blood rushing in his ears overpowered the platitudes and compassion of the whitelighters. He had to find his son; he _had _to. His chest felt tight, his breathing constricted and panic overwhelming him.

He had already spoken with the Elders and countless whitelighters, but he tried again. He stormed in on his colleagues' meeting, one he hadn't even been told about. He didn't care that they excluded him, and instead he took the floor and demanded that someone help him.

"We don't know anything," they said somberly. "Whatever is happening; it is up to the witches to resolve."

"All in due time, Leo. You must be patient," Angelica stated.

"All in due time? What is that supposed to mean? My son doesn't have time! We need to find him right now!" He scanned the faces around him; almost all of the Elders were there. Most were staring at him awkwardly, as if ashamed to see him in such a state. Paul, one of the oldest of the Elders, kept his eyes averted.

"There is nothing more that can be done here, Leo. Go home," Mary said softly.

Leo stumbled out of the meeting room with his heart heavy. He could barely believe how completely useless the Elders were. They kept giving him strange glances full of unspoken words, but no one would say anything. The Elders had been his last hope.

Spotting one more golden robe, Leo darted through the clear white surroundings towards him, an Elder named Seamus. Halfway there he stopped in his tracks, his body frozen by the sight of the young man in deep conversation with Seamus. He had spiky brown hair, green eyes, and a face Leo could never forget. Leo just stared at him for a moment as his heart slowed and his breathing regulated. Then he regained control of himself and ran to him, throwing his arms around him in wild abandon while shouting his name. "Chris! Chris! Thank God, thank God, thank God! Chris!"

"Um…. I think you've mistaken me for someone else," the man responded in a voice that sounded like music to Leo's ears. He pulled away from Leo, giving Leo a chance to look him over properly.

It took Leo a moment to realize that this person seemed different from his son. His gaze strayed to his eyes, and he finally spotted it. This was not his son who had disappeared weeks ago; this was his son that had been killed by Gideon's athame twenty-two years ago.

"_Chris?_" he whispered painfully.

"I don't know what's going on here, but my name is Peter."

* * *

**A/N: Woo! Cue the fireworks, we have now reached where the prologue took place! It is now present day! Anyway, as usual, I would love to know what you thought!**


	21. The Other Chris

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. I hope this chapter answers some of your questions! **

**Oh and by the way, this chap is 13 pages on Word, so settle in and enjoy!**

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 21: The Other Chris

* * *

Tyler orbed in, clearly shaken. "Is everybody okay?" he asked.

Lena looked up from where she was sitting on the floor with a book spread on her lap. "We're fine, what's wrong?"

"Did you feel that before? That massive surge of power? I was worried that you might be in trouble."

"We're fine, I promise, well… most of us anyway."

"Oh. Okay. Well good. You know, because… well… anyway… can I do anything to help, now that I'm here and all?"

"Probably not. But you're always welcome to sit around twiddling your thumbs with us."

"Well, catch me up, where are we at?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"What's taking Leo so long?" Piper asked from where she was scrying with Phoebe. "I wish he would get back here and tell us what the Elders had to say."

"Maybe they're actually being helpful this time," Phoebe suggested. "As far as I'm concerned, the longer he's up there, the better."

* * *

"Just come down there with me, please!" Leo cried, his hands holding Chris – or Peter or whoever he was' shoulders desperately. "If anything – you're a whitelighter, you have to help, please!"

"All right," Peter sighed. Clearly the man was distraught, but he really did not see how he could help at all. Before he had the chance to say anything else, Leo had orbed the pair into the Halliwell Manor.

From his vantage point in the doorway of the attic, Peter watched the goings-on with interest. A young blond stood at the podium staring at the Book of Shadows. A young blonde guy stood at a podium, flicking quickly through the Book of Shadows. Two sisters were bent over a table, spinning scrying crystals. A dark haired man was looking over a sheet of paper next to summoning materials. And off to the side a young woman sat with a large book in her lap. Beside her was someone Peter recognized.

Sensing their presence, everyone in the room looked up abruptly, their eyes going wide with surprise and relief. "Chris, oh God, _Chris!_" the blond shouted, running to him. Before Peter could protest, the man had put his arms around him, clutching him tightly.

Peter pushed Wyatt off of him, trying to back up, but stuck by Leo's presence behind him. Seeing no other way out, Peter orbed to the other side of the room. He caught eyes with Tyler for a moment before Tyler let out a crestfallen, "Uh-oh."

"Look," Peter began, putting up his hands to ward off the advances of the others. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm not who you think I am. My name's Peter, and I'm a whitelighter, and I am out of here if one more person tries to hug me."

"Okay Chri… I mean, Peter," Leo said calmly. "We just need to talk to you. Come on, let's go downstairs, okay?"

He obliged, shooting Tyler a curious look. The other whitelighter shrugged defensively and the whole of the family went down to the living room, piling onto couches and not ripping their sight from Peter for one instant.

"Leo, what's going on, what's wrong with Chris?" Piper demanded of her husband.

"I don't think he is Chris, not the Chris who's missing anyway. I ran into him 'Up There,' he's a whitelighter."

"Then why does he look exactly like Chris?" Wyatt asked angrily. For one moment, _one fucking moment_ he thought that his brother was safe, but he wasn't. This was probably just one more thing the Elders had done to punish his family.

"I… I think he… he might be… the other Chris," Leo whispered, his voice so soft they could barely hear him.

"So my husband and kids are off to the middle-of-nowhere for safety, thanks a lot, Alec!" Paige exclaimed as she orbed into the room. Everyone just turned and looked at her dumbly.

"Did I miss something?" she asked. Then she turned and saw Chris. Her hands flew up to her face in surprise.

"Um yeah… you did…" Phoebe responded.

"Apparently he isn't our Chris though," Alec clarified. "Leo said he was… "the other Chris"."

Paige looked shocked. "The… the other one? You mean… you mean… _Chris_, future-boy Chris?" she said. Leo nodded miserably and Paige latched her eyes onto the young man. He actually looked remarkably like future-Chris had when he first arrived, spiky hair and all.

"But the Elders… they said his soul went into the baby… that's what they told us!" Piper shouted.

Noticing that the boy they were discussing and studying like a lab specimen seemed less than pleased, Phoebe tried to include him in this conversation. "Okay, Peter, is it?" Phoebe asked, watching him closely. He looked exactly like Chris, even down to his facial expressions. Though the look he was shooting them now had more often been sighted on the first Chris, the one from the future who died, than her easygoing nephew. "Uh, how long have you been a whitelighter?" she asked quickly.

"About twenty-two years," Peter answered, grateful that she was not pestering him about this Chris person. The whole family must be manic for them to confuse him, a whitelighter – and being a whitelighter clearly implied being dead – for their missing nephew. And whatever that future business and baby stuff, well that went a little out of his understanding as well. However his response had everyone sharing meaningful glances – the middle-aged people anyway, the twenty-something boy looked confused, and the girl seemed about to swoon.

"How did you die?" Phoebe pushed.

"I… I don't know," Peter admitted, a bit ashamed.

"You don't know? How could you not know?" Piper sputtered.

"The Elders said it was too painful or something, okay?" Another glance. "What is going on here?" Peter turned his attention to fellow whitelighter Tyler. "Tyler, are these your charges? Can you tell me what's going on?"

"You _know_ him?" Piper demanded of Tyler, ire in her eyes.

"We ran across each other once or twice," Tyler said, taking a step back from Piper, and her hands which were poised to blow him up.

"And you didn't tell us? You didn't tell me?" Lena asked, hurt.

"The Elders didn't want you to know about him!"

"So he is Chris? The Chris who died here twenty-two years ago?" Phoebe demanded. Peter alternated his stare between the two, completely at a loss.

Tyler paused for a moment, but a glare from Lena had him babbling the truth. "Yes, he is Chris, future Chris, older Chris, whatever, you know who he is, and here he is!"

"Um… my name is Peter!"

Before anyone could respond, three demons shimmered into the room, fireballs at the ready. Peter and Tyler jumped back as the demons attacked the witches. Piper flicked her wrists, attempting to blow up the demons, she hit one, but all it did was sizzle his skin, his fireball landing straight and true at Paige. She tried to dodge but still received a nasty burn on her right shoulder. Phoebe levitated and kicked the demon in the chest, sending him flying into the stairwell. Lena sent a blast of fire at the other demon, who somehow bounced it back at her, knocking her back where her leg collided painfully with the coffee table, smashing it and sending bit of wood into the air. "Screw this," Wyatt muttered, taking his frustration of the past weeks out on the two demons, sending a blast of energy at them. The two demons immediately were vaporized.

Leo immediately went to Lena, whose leg was bleeding all over the floor. Tyler made to go to Paige, but Peter stepped in. "I'll do it," he offered.

He took Paige's hand in his, helping her to the couch, and then sitting beside her. He put his hands over her wounded shoulder, and a warm glow appeared. Paige stared at the whiteligher's eyes, seeing a softness there that the other Chris never really had. For a moment she felt truly sorry, knowing that if he were indeed the other Chris he would soon be remembering such awful things. Distantly, the voice of her onetime whitelighter from the future echoed in her mind. _'Healing, it's big…'_ Peter caught Paige's stare, and half-smiled at her uncomfortably.

Once everyone had been suitably healed, they returned to the problem at hand. Wyatt kept his gaze steady on Peter, wishing with everything he had that this person really was his brother; that Chris was not in mortal danger somewhere in the Underworld, suffering and alone.

"Okay, I don't understand what's going on here," Peter said, breaking the ice.

"I'm going to go see the Elders and get some answers," Leo announced, standing. Peter shot him a look that clearly read 'you're just going to leave me here?' with a classic future-Chris frown. Leo merely grimaced before orbing away.

"Chris… er… Peter… er… Chris… er…" Lena stuttered.

"Yeah?" Peter asked annoyed.

"Um, want to see some pictures of yourself all alive and non-whitelighter and stuff?" Lena asked.

"Sure, why not?" Peter sighed, completely lost, but wanting more than anything to get away from the intense stares of the Charmed Ones. She stood up and grabbed his hand, such a simple gesture, but Peter seemed surprised. Something about her seemed oddly familiar however, and as she dragged him off the couch he caught Wyatt's eye, and felt a cold shiver run through him.

Lena led him out to the conservatory, leaving the rest of her family to undoubtedly discuss him. She knew more about 'the other Chris' than Wyatt, mostly because her mother was the one with secret-keeping problems, and she had always been intuitive, having inherited her mother's powers. "They keep a little scrapbook about you out here," she explained, still holding his hand tightly. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Lena."

"I still don't get this," Peter sighed, following her.

"Well when Uncle Leo gets back, I think we'll have the answers we're looking for," Lena said gently.

"I just never imagined this sort of thing. They just told me I couldn't remember my life, and I don't know, there wasn't anything I could do about it, so…"

"So you threw yourself into your work and forced yourself to not think about it?" Lena questioned, grabbing a book from the shelf and then pulling him to sit with her on the couch.

"Uh… yeah."

"Classic Halliwell. Facing our issues is not something we're particularly good at. And you, cousin, are no exception," Lena sighed, opening the book.

"So your cousin, this Chris guy, did something bad happen to him? Everyone seems pretty upset," Peter questioned. He was a whitelighter and he cared for the welfare of people in general, and witches more so.

"He uh… he was taken by demons. We haven't been able to find him," Lena muttered, her hands swiping angrily at her eyes and the tears which had been falling off and on since Chris disappeared. She tried not to think about what Chris had turned into, and was just glad that he seemed to not be listening in at the moment.

"I'm sorry," Peter said, placing his hand comfortingly over hers.

"Not your fault," Lena responded. She composed herself and then plopped the book down in front of them. "See, that's you with baby Wyatt." Lena pointed to a snapshot of adult Chris and baby Wyatt playing together in the conservatory. Peter looked mesmerized by it, studying his face in the photo. She flipped the page. "And there you are with my mom – Phoebe, writing a spell." Someone had taken this photo of the pair concentrating intently on what they were writing, their heads pressed together. "Here's you and Aunt Paige making potions. Magic was your favorite past-time back then."

"These actually seem… familiar," Peter said, sounding slightly strange, as if afraid of the idea that he really was this guy. The next page contained various spells Chris had hand-written, and Peter recognized his own writing. What Peter saw next had his heart catching in his throat. A small engagement ring sat inside a tiny plastic bag, glued into the scrapbook.

"Yeah uh… apparently you were engaged in the future… but she died."

"Why are you doing this?" Peter asked Lena suddenly.

She pushed her hair out of her face and turned to him inquisitively. "Doing what?"

"Wasting your time here, showing me photos and stuff. You're probably really worried about Chris, you should be looking for him."

"I've been searching for him for weeks and I haven't found him yet," Lena said sadly. "But you are Chris, sort of, and you're just as important to me, okay?" She flashed him a quick smile.

* * *

"Ok, who the hell is this guy?" Wyatt demanded as soon as Peter and Lena left the room.

"He's your brother… sort of…" Phoebe began, looking slightly confused. "This time travel stuff really screws me up…"

"All right, twenty or so years ago, a whitelighter came from the future. He called himself Chris Perry, and he said he was here to prevent a demon from getting at you – baby you," Piper explained. "A while later, we found out he was actually a Halliwell too – your brother, and he…" Piper stopped, trying to figure out how to word the next part without hurting Wyatt.

"He was really here to prevent someone from turning you evil," Paige finished hurriedly.

"For… what…?" Wyatt choked. "I turned evil?"

"Yeah… in an alternate future – the future 'that guy' came from. But he fixed it, and so you're not evil now, you're good." Paige hoped that if they breezed through the explanation it would affect Wyatt less.

"So then why is he a whitelighter now? Why didn't he just go back to the future?" Wyatt asked, pushing aside the whole 'he was evil' notion to focus on the problem at hand.

"Well… the other Chris… he never got to finish his mission, because…" Paige felt tears form in her eyes and let her sentence die, wiping at her eyes.

"He died, honey," Phoebe finished with a sympathetic smile. Wyatt seemed to be in slight shock, so she ploughed on. "The Elders told us that his spirit had gone into the baby, so we… we never thought he was a whitelighter; that he was still out there, if we did…"

"He died? He died trying to save me? My own little brother? Because I was evil. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Wyatt cursed, standing up and pacing.

"Baby, it's not your fault," Piper said, standing and embracing Wyatt, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He fixed everything, he saved the world. But now it's our turn to save him, okay?"

* * *

The Source flexed his fingers. "The Other has been found," he said tonelessly, turning to face his assistant. "He must be destroyed."

"I will have the darklighters deployed immediately, my liege," Dakian offered, bowing low before shimmering from the chamber.

"Yes, I do not want there to be any chance that he could come back. With this face the Charmed Ones will never vanquish me." He stepped before a mirror, regarding his reflection with esteem.

* * *

'Up there' Leo had just forced the Council of Elders to explain to him how exactly the first Chris was in his house calling himself Peter when they had specifically stated that his soul was in the Chris born twenty-three years ago.

"Chris disappeared during his conception, and when he did, his soul was split in two. One half to return as the Chris you knew, and the other to be born into the world. Then, when he died, we intercepted his soul to prevent it from moving on. We wiped his memories, and made him a whitelighter," Angelica explained calmly, as if discussing the weather, not them playing God with his son.

Leo just glared at them. "But you told us, you said that he had been reborn into baby Chris. I don't remember anything about split souls or whitelighters!"

"Whitelighters are not meant to have any contact with those they knew when alive. Your family may break a lot of rules but not that one."

"But you wiped his mind! And gave him a new name!"

"If he knew the truth he would not have stayed away from you and your family. At the time you all needed to focus on the child. You see, Leo, this is one of the intricacies of time travel. You could not have adult Chris and baby Chris living in the same house, being around each other all of the time!" the Elder named Jared exclaimed, wondering how Leo did not understand this.

"But why did you make him a whitelighter at all? He sacrificed himself enough for the greater good without this too!"

"Because the two souls need to merge back into one. This can only be done on Chris' twenty-third birthday. We were to explain everything to you the day before, and then allow your family to oversee the process," Angelica said simply.

"We could've sent him to the future right away, rather than keep him here saving witches for twenty-three years," Leo complained.

"Who's to say he would even have been alive then? As you can see, Chris would have been returned to a time when his other half had gone missing for weeks," Catherine jumped in.

"Well what am I supposed to do now? Chris is missing, you're right, and we can't find him. And I'm sure as hell not sending the other Chris back up here as Peter. He's staying with his family."

"We will allow that, his birthday is fast approaching and that day will hold your one and only chance of making him whole and alive," Catherine said. "And as for your 'missing' son, think about it Leo; the Underworld has been stirring for months, a new Source has taken the Oath, and your son only has half a soul. Just wonder on that and I am sure you will realize the implications as we have."

Leo felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. "Tell me what has to be done to make him whole."

* * *

Lena looked up abruptly from the scrapbook and Peter as Leo's orbs filled the entryway. His emotions swirled, an unpleasant mix of anger, fear, and regret. He saw Peter in the conservatory and marched right in, leaving the rest of the family demanding answers and chasing after him. Leo kneeled down in front of Peter, staring at him with such intensity that Peter had to look away.

"I know this must be an awful lot for you, but I have to ask you to remember who you really are," Leo whispered. Peter looked from Leo to Lena, who squeezed his hand comfortingly, and nodded.

"But the Elders… why would they do that? I don't understand. They're the paragons of good and they've never let me down, but why would they make it so I couldn't remember?" Everyone just stared at him for a moment in shock. Of course he did not remember that one of the so-called 'paragons of good' had actually killed him, but still, it was such a un-Chris thing to say. "Besides, how could any of you make me remember, if they did this?"

Catching on, Piper answered his question. "Because you're family, and you have the Charmed Ones on your side."

"Do you remember anything, anything at all?" Phoebe asked him quietly, as if speaking to someone on their death bed.

"Lena showed me the scrapbook, and everything looked familiar, but I can't really remember it," Peter sighed, feeling like a specimen in a laboratory. Again he caught Wyatt's concern filled eyes and forced himself to look away.

"It sounds like the Elders put in a mental block," Lena volunteered meekly.

"That's what I was about to say, kiddo," Phoebe smiled. "So Peter, would you be willing to let me in to remove that block?"

"Um… like as in telepathy?" Peter asked feeling cornered again.

"Yeah," Leo responded, staring tenderly at this Chris, remembering when he watched him fade away as he died and feeling a wealth of guilt build up inside of him. "Please, Chris, please," Leo pleaded.

Peter looked at each face for a moment, clearly at a loss, finally he turned to Lena. "Are you a telepath?" he asked her.

"Ye…yeah. But my mom's—"

"Can you do it?" he asked softly.

"But my mom, she's just—"

"It's just, I feel like… like you were there, you know?" Peter said. Lena seemed at a loss. She knew she was a strong telepath, but aside from the occasional dream-walking she had not gone out of her way to use that power. To skim the uppermost of people's thought was one thing, to force her way into someone's mind was totally different.

"Go ahead honey, you can do it," Phoebe encouraged.

"Um, just relax," Lena said anxiously, putting one hand to her head and the other to the side of Peter's face. "It won't hurt, I promise," she added as she activated her power. A soft yellowish glow surrounded her hands, and then the pair closed their eyes, lost to those around them.

A few moments in, Lena's hands began to shake violently, she muttered soundlessly, and it seemed as if the connection would break. Concerned, Phoebe climbed up on the couch behind her and placed her hands over Lena's strengthening the telepathic connection.

Lena's mind butted up against the mental shield the Elders had put into place. Muttering the counter-spell under her breath and pushing against it with all of the force she could muster, she felt it dissolve, opening up a typhoon of memories. As they raced by, she caught sight of several disturbing images of herself and Chris, but before she could latch onto anything, she felt him weakening in her grasp. The flurry of images mesmerized and confused her, and as Chris lost consciousness she felt the connection breaking, sending her spiraling into a world of darkness.

* * *

Chris slowly became aware. It felt as if he were waking from a particularly long and deep sleep. Eyes still closed, he could hear movement in the room, voices whispering. A soft hand reached out and took his in hers, stroking his skin delicately. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking to clear the image of Leo's face that swam in and out above him. "Dad?" he asked weakly.

Tears filled Leo's eyes. "Yeah buddy, it's me," he whispered.

"What…?" he began, then suddenly shot up to a sitting position. "Wyatt! Where's Wyatt? What about Gideon? Did you get him, did you stop him?!" Chris demanded urgently.

"I'm right here," Wyatt said uncertainly, stepping into Chris' line of vision.

"Wyatt?" Chris asked, staring at the person who looked so similar to his brother and so different at the same time. His eyes were filled with worry and sorrow, and his hair was short.

"You're in the future," Leo explained.

"The future?" Chris asked, a hand going to his abdomen and expecting to find a bloodied wound there. "So you saved Wyatt?"

"Yeah."

"And I'm home?"

"You're home," Leo assured him, tears streaming down his cheeks, restraining himself from pulling Chris into a bear hug and never letting him go. Chris looked around him for a moment, noting he was lying on his parent's bed, the same place he had been when he died. He supposed he would question them about that later. He turned to his right and saw Piper smiling down at him.

"Mom?" Chris asked. Piper smiled through tears and pulled her son into a tight hug. "You're alive?!"

"Yeah, I'm here, baby," Piper cried.

Leo could not stop himself any longer, but embraced Chris, blinded by tears and filled with joy. "I'm so sorry about what happened, Chris. I should've been there, I should've protected you."

"Hey, it was my mission, remember? It's okay. I don't blame you." Leo released him, wiping the tears from his eyes so he could stare at Chris, the Chris he had lost.

The aunts moved in for their hugs next, and Chris felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at seeing them alive and healthy. He could not bring himself to face Wyatt at the moment. So his eyes scanned the room one more time, to search for one girl in particular, but he did not see her. His heart sank as he imagined a future without his cousin in it. He must have screwed something up in his time travel trip, made it so she had never been born. _Dammit._ Before he could continue in his mental self recriminating he saw a shadow of movement in the doorway.

"Hey… why's everybody in here?" Lena questioned unsteadily, having woken up on the couch alone, her mind spinning from Chris' memories. Chris leapt towards her, surprising his other family members and dragging his cousin into a tight and warm embrace.

"Lena! We did it! We did it!" he triumphed. She clung to him tightly, recalling all that he was, and some of what she had been.

"No Chris, you did it, _you_ saved the future. But now… you have to save yourself," she said, pulling away from him slightly. "There's a lot to talk about."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. Once Gideon the Elder killed me, the other Elders decided that wasn't good enough, so they made me one of their pod-people whitelighters, and named me Peter, thinking that using a 'P' name was an awfully nice gesture on their part?" Chris demanded after the adults had filled him in as best they could. He pointedly avoided eye contact with Wyatt, not wanting to deal with that until after he dealt with the cause of his existence.

"Well, yeah… but apparently they did you a favor by preventing your soul from moving on," Phoebe pointed out.

"Yeah, I'll remember to put them on my Christmas card list from now on," Chris sputtered.

Wyatt studied this man; his 'other' brother and felt uneasiness swell within him. The Chris sitting before him had a hollowed, abused, dark look in his eyes, and it terrified Wyatt. The Chris he grew up with always had soft green eyes and he also had a cheerful disposition, usually happy and always getting himself into trouble and helping others. Somehow Wyatt could tell that he could not relate to this negative Chris at all. With a pang he wondered if this is what his brother would be like when he got out of whatever awful situation he was in.

"That's sorta funny, since just a little while ago you were going on about your undying love of the Elders," Paige commented.

"What? Me? You sure?" Chris asked with a smile.

"Well, 'Peter' I suppose. Oh man, does this mean you have like multiple personalities now?" Phoebe whined.

"Yeah, 'cause you were neurotic enough before…" Paige said thoughtfully.

He closed his eyes for a moment as if concentrating, and then blinked a few times. "No, I remember 'Peter'. Man, what a goody goody that guy was."

"I liked Peter," Tyler sighed from behind them, wanting to get into some of this fun. The Halliwell Manor had been dreary for weeks.

"Yeah, he'd be right up your alley, Ty," Chris shrugged.

"How would you know, we don't really know each other that well…" Tyler questioned nervously. "Oh right, your timeline… wow that's weird."

An awkward moment followed. No one knew quite what to say or what to do. For the Charmed Ones it had been almost twenty-three years since they had last seen this Chris, but for him it was as if only a moment had passed. However this world was different from the one he grew up in, and the one he traveled back to. He stole frequent glances at Wyatt, and finally Phoebe noticed it.

"Why don't we give Chris and Wyatt a minute together?" Phoebe suggested.

The others stood, glancing at the brothers. Lena looked between them, not sure who she meant to reassure more, and probably would have remained in the room if her mother had not gently pulled her away.

Chris and Wyatt simply stared at one another for a long moment, neither completely comfortable. "Wow, this is awkward," Chris finally sighed, breaking the silence. "For years I thought of what I'd say to you if the time-travel plan worked and I came back to the future. And now, here I am, and I can't even think of anything."

"Mom and the aunts just explained everything to me…" Wyatt began, unsure himself as he thought of all they said. How he had been evil in the future and Chris – this Chris came from the past and died to save him. However, another part of his mind kept reminding him that the Chris he had grown up with was in pain somewhere, suffering. "I'm so sorry."

"I never blamed you," Chris replied. "Sometimes I wanted to, but I never really could."

"I don't see how you didn't. I mean… I only know the bare bones of what happened, but it couldn't have been… couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't," he said, looking down at his hands. "But I was right, something happened to yo– to my Wyatt when he was too young to understand it. So it wasn't his fault at all."

"I uh…" Wyatt looked at Chris and then at the floor. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this." He stood and all but ran from the room, leaving Chris to watch his retreating back.

* * *

The family watched Wyatt hurry by them, racing up the stairs. Lena looked between the conservatory and the stairs, clearly torn. Phoebe took her by the shoulders and turned her towards the stairs. "You go after Wyatt; we'll take care of Chris." She nodded. Alec watched everyone depart, leaving him and Tyler alone in the kitchen.

* * *

Wyatt ran into his bedroom and closed the door with a resounding slam. He sank onto his bed and lowered his head into his hands, feeling like a fool. He heard a tentative knock on his door and sighed. "Go away," he grumbled.

Instead the door opened and Lena poked her head in. "I said go away," he said but his voice held no real conviction. Lena sat down beside him and put her arm around him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he let out a breath and leaned back. "He's not our Chris."

"I know," she replied.

"I don't know what to do. They kept this from me… from me and Chris for all this time. I wanted to know what the secret was before. And now? Right now I really couldn't care less. How is this going to help us find Chris?"

"I don't know. But Uncle Leo… maybe he has some answers."

"What if… I mean what if he's just supposed to… to replace ours?"

"No. No there's some sort of explanation for all of this. Besides, nobody could replace our Chris."

After a beat Wyatt sighed, "I feel like an idiot."

"Nah, you're not acting any dumber than usual."

Wyatt grinned momentarily and put his arm around her. "I want this to be over, I want Chris home."

"We'll figure it out. We haven't come this far just to lose him now."

"I hope you're right."

"But come on," she said, standing and pulling on his arm. "We can't run from this, Wy. We have to go downstairs and face what's happening."

He stood hesitantly and bowed his head. As they left the room, Wyatt turned and looked at the photograph of him and Chris goofing off. He felt a lump form in his throat and forced himself to turn away.

* * *

"That went well," Chris sighed. His mother and aunts were sitting with him, enjoying a bit of awkwardness themselves.

"Whatever happened… he didn't mean to be like that," Piper explained. "He's been… Chris going missing has really messed us all up."

"I bet. But I mean… other than that… has it been good? My life, I mean."

"Yes," Paige said without hesitation. "He's had a good life, they all have, thanks to you."

"And you… do you kids?" Chris asked evasively.

Paige choked back her irritation at her kids. "Yes… two girls, Prue and Nel."

"Wow, they made it," he said. "I uh… I never really got to know them the first time around, they died so young. Are they here somewhere? Can I meet them?"

"Uh no… they're not really… not really much for magic. I sent them somewhere safe."

"Oh okay. Wow there's so much I want to know about but I can't even think of what to ask," Chris said.

"Well you might not have to… if all goes according to plan," Leo said slowly.

"Why? What's the plan?"

"We should wait for Lena and Wyatt…" Leo said evasively. "They need to hear this too."

"It's bad, isn't it?" Chris asked. "Oh it must be bad, look at your face."

Leo hesitated, having a difficult time separating the son he had raised from the man he had once been hostile with and eventually had gained a deep respect and love for. His and the time traveler Chris' relationship had been very different from the one he had with his son; both good, but very different. And so while he could not have admitted it so blankly to the Chris who was missing, he found himself staring at this Chris and nodding his head. "Yeah… it's bad."

They heard movement from the hall and everyone turned to see Lena and Wyatt walking in. Alec and Tyler fell in behind them and soon the entire group was assembled in the conservatory.

"All right," Leo began, taking a deep breath and filling them in on part of what the Elders had told him.

* * *

"So we have to put my soul back together again?" Chris asked once Leo finished his story.

"Yes, and according to the Elders that will take a very powerful telepath and empath to guide the souls and join them. Since it's not that common of a combination of powers, they were relieved when both manifested in Lena. They've been releasing her powers early to prepare her for the joining."

Everyone turned to Lena and saw that she had the look of a deer caught in the headlights. "Wait… me? Why not Mom? Why would they want me to do this?"

"Well they'll need Phoebe for something else I'm sure…" Leo said slowly. "Besides, they seem to accept Wyatt, Chris, and Lena as the younger Power of Three and like to have the three of you solve your own problems."

"Problems? Um I think putting Chris' soul back together is more than just a "problem". I can't do that by myself!"

"That certainly explains what's been happening to you though," Phoebe said, not addressing Lena's statements at all. "When your eyes went white and you sensed Chris… Lena, the truth is, you are more powerful than me. The Elders did say that a psychic needs to grow into their powers, that if they're bound in childhood they never fully develop. If they say you can do this, then you can."

"Just chill Lena, we'll deal with that later. Dad, what's the next step?" Wyatt asked.

Leo appeared suddenly stricken, glancing at each expectant face in the room uncomfortably. "Whoever's soul is displaced… their body needs to be… killed," Leo whispered pointedly avoiding Wyatt's gaze.

"Greeaaaaat," Chris sighed.

"The soul is connected to the body, that's why you, Chris, disappeared when you were conceived, so that your spirit could split. We can't have a soulless body walking around."

"Something tells me you're not done dishing out bad news," Phoebe said, regarding Leo suspiciously.

"The Elders have a theory about what happened to Chris… the missing Chris…"

"Out with it," Piper ordered, hoping the anxiety she felt in waiting would be far worse than the actual news.

"It seems I might owe you an apology, Lena… The Elders think Chris is the Source of All Evil."

"No," Wyatt said. "We were through this already, it's impossible."

"It isn't, Wy. I thought it was, it should have been because of his being a whitelighter, but it seems… according to the Elders because he only had half a soul it was actually very possible."

Wyatt looked crushed, yet defiant. "I won't believe it until I see it."

"How could this have happened?" Piper cried. "How could we let this happen?"

Chris turned to his family steadily. "Well, we just had to have one Source in every generation," he interrupted calmly. "I blame Aunt Phoebe for starting this trend."

"How can you be so flippant about this?" Paige demanded.

"So my other half has become the Source of All Evil in this timeline, trust me, I've seen worse. But you don't think that he chose this himself, do you?"

Everyone shook their heads vehemently.

"Okay, good. My best guess would be that because he only had half a soul, they could fill the empty space with evil and then make sure that he lost the battle to the Source."

"You sure caught on quick," Phoebe sighed, still grasping at it herself.

"Well it's clear that I'm the brains in this little operation," Chris pointed out, trying to lighten the mood at least a little. He could see how drawn and exhausted his family was, and wondered how long Chris had been gone; how long they had the proverbial black cloud hanging over their heads. "But if he is the Source then…"

"Then we need to vanquish him again," Phoebe said.

"What's my part in all of this?" Wyatt asked with irritation. Leo looked up at him apologetically, but somehow Wyatt could tell that his expression was not to mean that Wyatt had no part; just that he would not be happy with what it was.

"Chris is the Source," Piper said, interrupting the discussion with a look of utter terror on her face as it began to sink in. "Oh my God, oh my God!"

"Piper, honey," Paige said, putting her arms around her sister.

"And we have to kill my baby… This can't be happening! It can't!" She collapsed into sobs, Paige holding her tightly and whispering comfortingly in her ear.

"Alright," Leo announced. "I think we've all have more than enough to deal with for one day. We should all get some sleep, we'll talk this out in the morning."

* * *

Chris wandered through the bedroom. It had been his when he was growing up, and it had been the Chris of this timeline's room as well. It had the look of the bedroom of an aging adolescent – posters beginning to be replaced by art prints, things that seemed childish boxed away. There were however many photos on display. Chris walked around, picking up each one and staring at it. They were mostly of his family; awkward group photos and random candid shots.

What caught his attention were how many were of him, Wyatt, and Lena. In his timeline, Wyatt going evil had thwarted all chances of a close bond between the three of them. It was something he had always wanted and wished for, and it seemed that in this changed version of the future, it had been achieved. However brief it may have been. Because Chris knew as much as everyone else did, that no matter how smoothly their plan to reunite the halves of his soul, the version of Chris they were left with would be one that no one would recognize.

* * *

"You're planning on ripping Christopher from me?" the Source asked, pacing around Lena. She stood stock still, muscles tight and tense. They were once again in the desolate dreamscape with the stone altar, surrounded by flames. "Good luck with that, by the way."

"You were listening?" Lena said, feeling guilty immediately. She should have checked, should have been sure that he was distracted before she heard anything Leo had to say. Although it dawned on her that he probably knew most of this already. After all, someone had to have known that Chris only had half a soul.

"It was all a little too melodramatic for me," he said with a smirk. "Only thing is… that other Chris said that he had "seen worse" in his timeline." Chris came up behind Lena and put his mouth against her ear. "What did he mean by that? What has he seen?"

Lena felt relieved that he had not been listening in during the more important parts of her interactions with the other Chris. "I'm not going to tell you."

"Maybe I already know?"

"I don't see how it would help you either way, to tell you the truth." She took a step away from him and turned so she could see him face to face. It was not a pretty picture; her handsome cousin's face screwed up in an expression of dark delight, his eyes soulless flames.

"And around and around we go. I never can get a straight answer out of you." He circled around her again, but she kept eye contact with him the whole time. "I wonder though – how abandoned your cousin must feel, knowing that the Halliwells have found a replacement for him."

"Don't you dare say a thing like that!" Lena shouted.

"He thinks you abandoned him," the Source smiled gleefully. "You will need him, won't you? You'll have to find him inside of me, if you hope to reunite the halved souls. But you won't Lena. He'll be buried so deep you'll never find him. What hope will you have then, I wonder? When your little plan fails so miserably?"

"CHRIS!" Lena shouted with all of the telepathic force she could muster, trying to reach her cousin within the Source. "We didn't give up on you! We never will! We're going to save you, believe me! Don't let him trick you!"

"That's quite enough of that," the Source interrupted. He flicked his fingers at Lena and a wall of flames shot up from where she stood. She screamed as her clothes and hair caught fire; as the flames grew and engulfed her. She felt her skin burning and her blood boiling and through the haze of smoke and fire she saw the Source laughing at her with mocking joy.

* * *

Lena woke up screaming. She thrashed in the bed, entangled in the sheets. Sweat poured off of her, and it was too long before she realized that she was not burning. "Lena?" Wyatt said with concern, appearing beside her in a burst of orbs.

Lena nearly jumped out of her skin. "Holy shit, Wyatt! Do not sneak up on me!"

"What's wrong?!"

"It was just a nightmare," Lena replied, shaking her head.

"Are you sure?" Wyatt asked. "Maybe it was really a vision? What did you see?"

"Nothing, it was a nightmare! Just a stupid dream, Wy." She sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry, okay, I didn't mean to go off on you, but you surprised me."

"It's okay," he said, rubbing her back. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Stay?" For a moment it looked like she would say yes, then her eyes widened. "You shouldn't be here, you have to watch over Chris at the Manor! You can't leave him alone! What if someone comes after him?"

Wyatt let out a cry of frustration. "Fine! I'm going back. Good night!"

"Good night!" Lena flopped back on her bed and sighed. She wouldn't get any more sleep that night.

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry there's more Wyatt and Chris awkwardness to come (and more explanations considering what everyone's jobs are in the putting back together of Chris and the vanquishing of the Source). Anyway, let me know what you thought! **


	22. Keep a Sharp Eye

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing!**

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 22: Keep a Sharp Eye

* * *

The following morning Lena arrived at the Manor to find Chris standing outside of Wyatt's bedroom. She heard loud thuds and walked over to the door, peeking her head in. Wyatt was leaning against his dresser with a booklet in one hand. His bed was gone, and in its place was a pile of parts and three mattresses pushed up against the wall. Wyatt gestured with his hands and the parts began to assemble themselves, orb lights surrounding each piece.

"What is he doing?" Lena asked.

"A little redecorating I guess," Chris shrugged. "I woke up when he tossed his mattress down the stairs.

"Morning Lena," Wyatt called from the room. "You might want to stand back," he added. She did as he asked and a moment later his bureau zoomed out of the room and into the hall. "Needed the extra space," Wyatt shrugged.

"I'm gonna go see what Mom's up to," Chris decided, leaving Lena and Wyatt alone.

Wyatt frowned as he followed the assembly instructions he held. Orb lights shined before him and thuds and metallic clings could be heard until finally he was done. He smiled, staring at his creation. Where there used to be a full sized bed and a large dresser there was now a set of twin sized bunk beds and another twin bed beside it. He conjured a set of sheets and blankets for each bed and then smiled in satisfaction.

"Wow… are you going to open up a boarding house?" Lena asked, standing in the doorway.

"No, this is so that I can keep an eye on you and Chris twenty-four/seven."

"Wait… you expect me to sleep here?"

"Yep. All three of us can now sleep in the same room, genius, huh?"

"This is super unnecessary."

"I don't see how. You wanted me to keep an eye on him, and I can't do that if you're going to be waking up screaming. This way I can protect both of you."

Lena found it hard to argue against his logic.

"Alright, I have to run out for a minute," Wyatt said. He put his hands on Lena's shoulders. "Look after Chris, okay? And don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?"

"Just out."

"What, you only want to stick to us like glue when we're sleeping?" Wyatt shrugged.

"Call me if anything… if you're even worried that something _might _happen, just call me, okay?"

"I will, Wy."

* * *

Wyatt orbed into the puffy clouds of 'Up There'. He leaned against a marble pillar and considered his dilemma. Through the ethereal mists stood a gold-plated door, behind which Piper had once placed the sword in the stone. A few moments later an Elder that Wyatt recognized walked towards him, smiling. "Wyatt, what brings you here?"

"Oh hi Paul," Wyatt said. "I uh… I was just thinking about something."

"And what was that?"

"The sword… Excalibur… is it good?"

"Good, my son?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know that it's powerful, but is it a good power?"

"The power of Excalibur is akin to the power of the Nexus over which the Manor was built. It is a deep power, neither good nor evil."

"So it could… could potentially…"

"Make you go mad? Wyatt, you must understand, when the one chosen to wield Excalibur achieves mastery of it, the sword's power holds no sway."

"I know that. But when will I have 'achieved mastery'?"

"When you hold the sword in your hand for the sole purpose, _sole purpose_, of helping another. When you think not of personal gain or the greatness of you, but only of that other person. That is when you shall have its magic fully in your power."

"Do you think… am I ready now?"

"If you need to ask, then no. Wyatt, you have already exceeded the expectations of many simply by the core goodness you possess. Anyone else with your level of power… well… might I just say that some were concerned of what you could have become."

"In the… in that other future I was evil. No one's really elaborated but… that's the important part, right?" Wyatt tried to laugh but it came out all wrong.

"One cannot be ruled by what may have been or what once was. You will know when the time is right. Do not try to force it, you have to search inside of yourself and feel it."

"Am I going to have to kill my brother?" he asked.

Paul didn't say anything and Wyatt shook his head.

"If that's the case then I'll never be able to get the sword. If it's not to save Chris then I won't ever use it."

* * *

"Where's Aunt Piper?" Lena asked, grabbing a muffin from the kitchen.

Chris shrugged. "In the attic with her sisters. Want some tea?"

"Yeah sure thanks."

"Did Wyatt leave?" Chris asked as he set a cup down in front of Lena and filled it. She nodded, not elaborating. He sighed heavily and sank into the seat across from her. He watched as Lena picked idly at the muffin.

"So… how does all of this feel?" Lena finally said, looking up at him.

"Pretty crappy," Chris admitted, leaning back in his chair. He marveled at sitting in the Manor opposite Lena, and almost imagined he was back in his own time for a moment; but that future was gone forever. "I hate to be the martyr, but I'm not catching any breaks here."

Lena nodded. "It isn't exactly what you thought the future would be, is it?"

"Could be worse."

"Could be better," she countered.

He shrugged in response.

"I'm worried about him," Lena announced. Her cheeks flamed a moment later; Chris already had enough to deal with.

"Hey don't feel like you have to put up a front for my sake. You and him are close, I assume?" he asked in a tone that suggested it would be impossible for them not to be.

"Yeah… he's more like a brother than a cousin, Wyatt too. A lot of things went wrong in a whole chain of events that led to this. And I mean… Chris, the Source? How could he ever come back from that? He won't be the same anymore."

"I just wish that I could have shown up at any time other than the cursed 'Halliwell crisis' time of year. It would have been great to see everyone happy, and going about their business, instead of sobbing and feeling guilty for being happy to see me…"

"Wyatt, he'll come around… He just, well he likes to think he's tough, but Chris has been and always will be his Achilles heel. All Chris has to do is toss him a look with those big green puppy-dog eyes and he'll melt."

"Sounds nice," Chris sighed. "Don't get me wrong, my Wyatt did love me too, but in a different way. My Wyatt couldn't be sweet and caring; not killing me was actually a great show of affection for him."

"What are you two talking about?" Phoebe asked as she entered the kitchen, breaking the moment. She opened the cabinet above the stove and began going through the herbs."

"This and that," Chris said vaguely. "What's going on upstairs?"

"Oh you know, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome… isn't that the definition of insanity?"

"Well if anyone would know, you would," Lena said with a small smirk.

"Thank you, daughter dear. I'll choose to believe you meant that due to my psychiatry degree I have more knowledge about the subject."

Lena opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she sensed dark orbs in the house. "Darklighters," she whispered, exchanging a glance with Phoebe, who had stopped rummaging in the cabinet. Lena pushed Chris off of his chair and turned the table over. "Stay down, we'll vanquish," she added, remembering the long ago incident involving her Chris and an arrow.

Feeling foolish hiding, Chris nevertheless accepted Lena's desire to protect him, and so watched from behind the table as she and Phoebe strode confidently into the next room, the air around them bending from their magical aura.

"You picked the wrong time to screw with this family," Lena grandstanded as she approached the four darklighters in the living room. She thought of Wyatt, pictured her cousin letting off one of his massive energy blasts and easily destroying every darklighter in the room. "Wyatt!" she called. But her call seemed to bounce back at her, and no answering orbs appeared. Phoebe tensed beside her.

The darklighters smiled at her as they lifted their crossbows, Phoebe, taking the direct approach, lunged at the one to the left. She kicked the crossbow out of his hand and engaged him in a purely physical battle.

The other lighters aimed their crossbows in Lena's direction. She stood still as the arrows fired at once, and at the very last moment she used her power of air control to form a whirlwind around herself that knocked the arrows off course.

She aimed her right hand at the darklighter closest to her, and fire erupted, vanquishing him as he screamed in pain. More arrows came her way and she hurled them in opposite directions. Chris realized why she had upturned the table when several arrows struck its surface.

Suddenly one of the darklighters darted forward, hand outstretched. Lena recognized that he was stronger than the others, and possessed the touch of death. Forgetting about the others, she focused solely on stopping him. He body-checked her and she grabbed his wrists as they both fell, holding his hands away from her. "Mom!" Lena shouted. Phoebe made a grab for a fallen crossbow and fired three arrows into the lighter she was facing. Then she spun, staring at Lena and the other, trying to decide how best to help without accidentally getting either of them killed. The other darklighter smiled, leveling his bow with Phoebe's unprotected back.

Seeing them badly outnumbered and outmatched, Chris darted out from the kitchen to meet the smirking darklighter. Hoping the powers he had not used and not known about for the past twenty-two years he spent as a whitelighter still remained, Chris sent a blast of TK at the darklighter, and was pleasantly rewarded when he slammed into the wall.

Lena, and Phoebe, through a combination of muscle and air, managed to toss the lead darklighter off of Lena. Lena aimed a lance of fire at him but it seemed to bounce right off of him.

"Chris! The crystals!" Lena called, pointing to a box of crystals. They could be orbed into a circle around the darklighter to form a crystal cage.

Chris nodded, and held his hand out toward the box. He started TKing the crystals one by one, but not fast enough to trap him. The lighter looked between the two as if trying to decide which to attack first.

The other darklighter acted first, shooting an arrow at Chris while he was distracted. Chris cried out in pain and stumbled into the wall. He gestured at the darklighter and tossed him into the table. Growling, Chris wrenched the arrow out of his side, barbs on the hilt slicing up his hands. He heard a crash and saw Lena and Phoebe again grappling with the lead darklighter, holding his wrists and trying to kick him.

Risking a moment of distraction, Chris turned to the stairwell, trying to figure out why his mother and aunt had not come running at all of the noise they were making. He saw a bluish hue floating around the ceiling and realized that it was a silence barrier; no one outside the room could hear them.

The other darklighter was getting up, and so Chris, weakened and barely able to stand, grabbed for a splinter of wood from the now very broken table. He TKed the splinter into the darklighter's chest, and sank to the floor as the lighter was vanquished.

"Just channel him, Lena!" Phoebe ordered, kicking the darklighter's back. Lena closed her eyes, and Chris watched as her hands suddenly glowed around the darklighter's wrists. He realized what she was doing too late, and tried to extricate himself just before the power she had channeled from him killed him. Lena fell to her side, gasping from the effort as he disappeared. Then she turned a terrified gaze to Chris. Scrambling across the room on her hands of knees, she reached his side. "Aunt Paige!" she cried.

"She can't hear you," he said. The poison was running its course and he could barely breathe.

Phoebe snarled as she spotted the silence barrier, and quickly recited the counter-spell to remove it. "Paige!" Phoebe shouted. There were footsteps on the stairs and Piper, and Paige appeared, their expressions shocked.

"Chris!" Piper cried as Paige ran to Chris' side. "How did this happen? We didn't hear anything!"

Careful not to touch the wound since the poison was lethal to her as well, Paige's hands hovered over Chris' side and cleanly healed up the damage there.

"They put up a silence barrier," Lena explained, watching the healing process closely. "One of the darklighters had the touch of death, that's why they gave us so much trouble."

"Did you pull the arrow out yourself?" Paige asked as she noticed his bloodied fingers.

"Yeah, why, is that bad?" Chris replied.

"About nine years ago they started putting poisoned barbs on the hilt," she answered as she finished healing him. She held out her hand and helped him sit up.

"Well, lucky for me, I haven't been hit by any darklighter arrows since I became Peter the whitelighter."

"Did the Source really think that a couple of darklighters could take us out? That all seemed very sloppy," Phoebe pointed out.

"Well if the one with the death touch had snuck up on us, then maybe…?" Lena said.

"No, no. He knew we would win, that was something else."

"Maybe he was testing… Chris?" Paige said. "To see how strong he is?"

"That was probably it," Chris said. "I mean… _I _didn't even know if I could still use magic, so how would _he_?"

"Chris… why didn't you orb the crystals into a circle?" Lena said suddenly.

"Orb them?" Chris asked. "I can only orb people, Lena, not crystals. And my TK can only move one at a time."

"Only orb people?" Phoebe repeated, exchanging a glance with Paige.

"Yeah… my whitelighter powers and my witch powers don't overlap. I'm not Wyatt."

"But my… the other Chris can," Lena interjected.

"Wait… he has more powers than I do? Oh. I guess… I mean his father was an elder when he was conceived; mine was just your run-of-the-mill whitelighter."

"I guess it made a difference. I mean Chris can do the orbing TK thing just like Wyatt, but he prefers to go with the standard witch version – says it's more effective and less flashy."

"I wonder what will happen when we're combined into just one Chris. Do you think his powers will suffer as a result of merging with me?"

"I can't see why. But who knows? It's not like this situation came with a user manual," Phoebe said.

Chris nodded, and then abruptly looked up at the ceiling as if confused. "What…? Oh right, my charges," he said to himself.

"Whoa, wait, you are not going to your charges!" Piper protested, grabbing hold of him.

"The Elders obviously haven't reassigned them. They need my help; I can't let them down."

"The darklighters were sent after _you_, Chris! I am not letting you go orbing around and putting yourself in danger!"

"I've been orbing around in danger for years! It isn't a big deal!"

"Chris, we're just trying to keep you safe. If you go get yourself killed, then that's it," Phoebe explained.

"Call Uncle Alec," Chris said suddenly, as if remembering something from long ago. "Tell him to bring over one of those darklighter repellant things from the Vault, okay?"

Phoebe nodded, unsure of what he meant, but hoping Alec would understand.

"Will that placate you three?" The others exchanged glances. "But either way, I do need to go right now."

"Well I'm coming with you," Piper said.

"No way. I am not bringing my mom with me to see my charges; I'm not five years old."

"Fine, just… take Lena with you," Piper suggested. Phoebe shot her a glance but then shook her head and stared at the floor. A few months ago she had been trying her best to keep Lena out of the line of fire, now she was sending her off as a bodyguard to protect Chris. How quickly things change…

Chris agreed to the terms, and took Lena's hand to orb them both away.

* * *

Chris returned an hour later, Lena holding his hand as they appeared in the Manor again. "It's about time!" Piper cried, hugging him tightly.

"Whoa, hey, I was only gone for an hour!" Chris protested but did not pull away from her. It felt good to have his mother with him.

"An hour's too long!" Phoebe chided, holding herself back from tossing her arms around him as well, and satisfying herself with drawing Lena against her.

"Yeah, well Sharon needed healing, and Dave needed some whitelighter encouragement, which, really, I'm not that great at. Lena gave him a nice pep talk though. Then I stopped 'up there' to ask Kyle if he'd keep an ear out for my charges."

"Kyle?" Paige asked, the color draining from her face.

"Yeah. He became a whitelighter a little while after I did. We were trainees together," Chris smiled. "He's a nice guy, a little serious, but real good at it. They'll be taken care of."

If anything, Chris' words only caused Paige to become whiter. "Kyle… Kyle Brody?" she asked finally.

"You know him?" Chris questioned with surprise.

"Know him? I **dated** him!"

"Oh… When was that?" Chris inquired carefully, sitting down in an armchair and shrugging Piper away from him.

"A few months after you… you know… died…" Paige responded uncomfortably. "It was during the whole thing with the Avatars."

"Oh right, the Avatars! I heard about them. I was one of about a hundred whitelighters who wanted to go down and help the Charmed Ones find a way to stop them, you know. The Elders turned us all down flat though. I guess it was because they were afraid of losing more people, especially after that Elder became an Avatar himself. That was crazy! Who could get taken in by their lies?" The three Charmed Ones exchanged nervous glances.

"So… you don't know which Elder turned into an Avatar?" Piper asked slowly.

"No. Why…?"

"It was your father, Chris," Piper all but whispered.

"Wait… what?! Dad turned into an Avatar? But why?"

"You have to understand, Chris, that after Gideon killed you… nothing was really the same. An Elder, Leo's mentor no less, had been plotting to kill Wyatt for who knows how long, and then he…" Piper's voice broke. Even though she was staring at Chris right now, it did not make his murder any less painful.

"I guess I can see how he could have been taken in by what the Avatar's promised," Chris said quietly.

"They were so convincing!" Phoebe exclaimed. "They somehow gave me this premonition of this perfect world, and Lena and you and Wyatt were coming out of school, and everything was just so wonderful. It seemed great! And now that I look back on it, too good to be true…"

"Leo was absolutely crushed," Piper continued. "He blamed himself for everything, and…" she stopped abruptly. "And he should be the one to tell you about all of this."

"No, it's fine, it doesn't matter," Chris shook his head.

"No really Chris, you should talk to him about this," Paige implored. "It's still there, that hurt, and I think it's part of why he feels so horrible about what's happened to other Chris. He won't bring it up because he doesn't want you to feel bad, but…"

"All right, I will. If we ever get a moment around here where the world isn't about to end," he added derisively.

Wyatt orbed in at that moment and looked at everyone's uncomfortable faces. "Did I miss anything?" he asked.

* * *

That night, Chris, Lena, and Wyatt all trooped up to Wyatt's room to sleep. Wyatt immediately claimed the top bunk and Chris climbed onto the bottom one. Wyatt leaned over his bed, smiling at his own ingenuity. "If anybody needs me, just give a holler."

Lena groaned and rolled, putting her back to him. "Good night, Wyatt."

"Good night, Lena. Good night, Chris."

"Good night, John boy, good night Mary Ellen," Chris smirked. The joke fell flat for the other two, who frowned, but Chris just smiled anyway.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure I'm too happy with how that one turned out. But I wanted to address Chris' powers while also giving a little relief from the super-angst. Next chapter should be longer and more plot heavy.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	23. Finally Cracked

Repercussions

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 23: Finally Cracked

* * *

"Chris, catch!" Alec said. Chris turned to him just as he tossed something in his direction. He deftly caught it and examined it. It was a bracelet made of pale stones. He smiled.

"I was hoping you would have this still," Chris said.

"Yeah well, it was a well kept secret until you blabbed to Phoebe. I was hoping to sell it for some big bucks."

"Yeah right," Chris replied.

"What is it?" Piper asked.

"It repels darklighter poison," Chris explained. "With this on, if I get hit by an arrow, the poison won't affect me."

"It's extremely rare, and unfortunately loses its magic the longer it's in contact with a Whitelighter."

"How long have you had it?" Piper questioned.

Alec thought about that. "I think I came across it sometime right before I met Phoebe, so twenty-two years ago maybe? Anyway, I guess the time finally came to use it." He looked a bit upset at that.

"Oh Uncle Alec and your boxes of random magical shit," Chris sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Your mother and aunts aren't entirely fond of my collection. They seem to think that some of it could be dangerous."

"Well it could be," Piper pointed out. "Remember that ring you gave Phoebe?"

"Oh yeah that… in my defense it _did _increase her powers."

"And splintered her into multiple personalities too. That was fun. And the necklace you leant Paige?"

"She only had that rash for two weeks…"

"In other words, he's not always sure of what the side effects may be. Are you sure that bracelet is safe?" she asked Chris.

"Definitely. I wore this in the other future, and it did exactly what it was supposed to."

"Good, because I don't want you sprouting tentacles or something."

* * *

Chris knocked lightly on 'Chris'' bedroom door. Leo was sitting on the bed, staring off into space. Leo looked up, and Chris caught a deep weariness in his face before he smiled at him. "Hey Chris."

"Hi. What are you doing?"

"Just thinking," Leo replied as Chris sat on the bed beside him.

"So… I heard about some of the things you were up to after I… you know," Chris began, staring at the wall in front of him. Leo tensed but did not say anything. "I'm sorry that things got so screwed up."

"Wasn't your fault, Chris."

"Yeah it was, sort of. I was supposed to take care of Gideon; it's why I was here. But I messed up, and then you had to finish it. An Elder killing another Elder? The consequences could have been much worse than they were."

"I'm not proud of how I reacted… becoming an Avatar… I hadn't wanted to, but then… Phoebe and Piper were killed and the only way I could save them was to become an Avatar. It all got out of control, Chris."

"I understand," Chris said softly. "And I don't blame you for anything that happened; I really don't. In those months I was here… you were a better father than mine had been for my whole life."

"Well not at the beginning I wasn't."

Chris laughed. "Yeah well… I didn't say you were perfect."

* * *

Wyatt put the finishing touches on the summoning spell he had written to call Shanqil. Impressed with himself, he read it over again, nodding in satisfaction at the meter and rhyme he had created. He hadn't told anyone about it, since every time he mentioned her name his family would vehemently declare that no one was to try and summon her.

So while everyone else was in the sitting room, discussing the Chris situation for the millionth time, Wyatt slipped away to the attic and prepared for the summoning.

He held his breath as he finished the ritual, staring blankly at the crystal cage. A burst of light flickered inside of it, and suddenly a woman appeared. She was dressed in dark silk robes, and when she turned her eyes on him Wyatt saw that they were a deep red. She pushed a lock of thick black hair from her face as she surveyed Wyatt. "Well done," she said, clapping her hands together. Her skin was shockingly pale, and her veins seemed to stand out, dark trails that ran into the sleeves of her robe.

"You look younger than I expected," Wyatt said, grabbing a chair and sitting down in front of the cage.

"Age is relative in the Underworld. It's one of the reasons that we can afford to take our time. One day you and yours will have perished from old age, but me and mine will still be here, planning, waiting to conquer your world."

Wyatt nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. So why strike us now? Why take Chris?"

"The Source has long toyed with the idea of taking the form of a witch," Shanqil said slowly. "However, for that to be achieved, the witch must have certain… vulnerabilities. We took Chris because we could not take you."

Wyatt froze at that. While he could rationally see that this was not his fault; could never be construed to be his fault, he still felt guilt overwhelm him.

"Tell me Wyatt, what would you do to be with your brother? What would you give?"

"Anything," Wyatt whispered. "Anything and everything."

"You could be together again; you could be a family again."

"You would have me become evil?" Wyatt laughed. "That's what you want?"

Shanqil surveyed him, motionless. "Does it matter to you that much? What has being "good" ever gotten you? Your brother is no longer beside you, and he never will be again. Here you will live a measly 75 years. In the Underworld you could live forever. Here you have consequences, and you must hide yourself. As one of mine, you could do whatever you saw fit to protect yourself and your loved ones. There would be no jobs, no police, no one getting in the way of you doing what you feel is best."

It was a tantalizing offer, but Wyatt had not lived to be this old without hearing it once or twice before. Demons were good at making you believe in things that were wrong, and terrible. Temptation was one of their strong points. And knowing what he did about the other Chris, about the other future, Wyatt wondered if an offer like this had begun his descent into darkness in that world.

Whether it was his own imagination, or the magic of a sorceress more powerful than he could imagine, Wyatt found himself thinking of what the world could be like if he accepted what she offered him. He imagined himself, Chris, and Lena, with black eyes and black hearts, leading a battalion against the Elders, destroying what had so long kept the world good. He saw innocents perish in the fires of their wrath and power. After twenty-five years of protecting lives and fighting against darkness, he could not give in, could not become what he had hunted.

Wyatt shook his head. "You took Chris by force, and I will not validate what you did by coming willingly," he hissed. "I will find a way to save my brother, and I will do whatever it takes to destroy you."

"We have him, body, mind, and soul, now and forever. And the infection within him will spread, and we shall have your cousin as well. Will you be more willing to fall when you are the last Halliwell, I wonder?"

"You will not take Lena," he growled. "The three of us… we never took the oath, we never bound ourselves as Charmed Ones. By turning one you cannot turn us all."

"There are some bonds that transcend purely magical ties," Shanqil responded. "Ask Lena what she sees in her dreams, Wyatt, and I believe you will understand. You have already lost, there is no reason to fight on."

"There's always a reason to fight," he replied defiantly. "Even if I was the last; even if everyone else perished and there were no other witches in existence, I would still fight. You and that demon who calls himself Dakian, could not change that no matter what you do."

"So much defiance in so young a man. An admirable trait, even if it is mostly bluster. I shall look forward to seeing what you do next." There was a sudden burst of light and then Shanqil was gone. Wyatt gaped at the empty cage. Had she even really been there? Or had he merely summoned up an illusion of her so he could enjoy that pointless conversation? Wyatt did not know what he had hoped to achieve by speaking with her, but now he felt even emptier than he had before.

Perhaps she was right, and he would not be able to save Chris. The plan seemed far fetched as it was. And even if they succeeded, he would still be forced to watch his brother die.

Someone knocked at the door to the attic and Wyatt turned to see the other Chris standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Mom asked me to see what you were doing up here," Chris explained, not quite meeting Wyatt's eyes.

"Nothing…" Wyatt said. He took in the sight of this Chris, with his shaggy hair and his nervous eyes. He was wearing Chris' clothes, pulled right from his closet as if he was being replaced. If the plan failed, could Wyatt live with this brother? Could he stand beside this man and fight? Could he even stand to look at someone who was so much his younger brother and yet a complete stranger? It made him ashamed, but he knew the answer to that question. If they lost Chris, he would not be able to become a Charmed One alongside this Chris. He would leave, hopefully his cousin would go with him, but he would never be part of a Power of Three that did not include the boy he had grown up with.

"I'm sorry," Chris said suddenly. "I'm sorry that I'm not him."

"My brother doesn't deserve this," Wyatt whispered. "He's the best of us. There are… things I've done… things that Lena has done, that he knows nothing about; things he would never have done. It should've been me."

"No, no it shouldn't have. I've seen that world, and I died to stop that from coming to pass."

"You don't need to remind me, I know this is all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Wyatt. I never blamed him… my Wyatt… I never blamed him for any of it, and I certainly won't blame you for it. I made a lot of mistakes when I came to the past, and I wish like hell I could fix it."

"I'm sure you did the best you could, given the life you led."

"Then I guess we can both agree that no Halliwell is to blame for what's happened. It's all Gideon's fault, right?" Chris smiled weakly.

"Sometimes I wonder if the Elders weren't right," Wyatt mumbled.

"What?"

"My… our parents' marriage was forbidden. And maybe there was a good reason for that. Look at all the trouble I've caused."

"Hey, I'm just as unnatural as you. And Aunt Paige came from a "forbidden union" as well. By that logic, none of us should be here."

"Our grandmother was not as powerful as our mother is," Wyatt replied. "And no offense, but you and Paige are not me."

"I know – you're special. But I don't envy you for it… at least not anymore." Chris paused. "Come on, we're talking in circles. Let's just go downstairs and see what everyone's up to."

Wyatt groaned. He really did not want to see his family. But still, he trudged after Chris down the stairs.

When he walked into the sitting room he immediately noted Lena's absence. He caught Phoebe's eye as he looked around the room. "She left," Phoebe said, not needing him to voice his question.

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't know. She just said she needed some air," Phoebe said with worry. "And she's blocking too. Would you… could you see if you can find her?"

Wyatt nodded grimly. He walked out of the room, leaving the other Chris and his mother watching him go without a word. He stopped in the doorway, reached out for his cousin. She was easy to find and she wasn't even that far away. Letting out a breath, Wyatt strode from the house and began the short walk to the diner a few blocks away.

When he pushed the door open he was surprised to see that Lena was not alone. Dylan, the part-witch that had given them the tip about Dakian was sitting across a table from Lena. Their hands were clasped together and they were leaning toward each other, their heads almost touching. Dylan whispered something to Lena and she shook her head. Wyatt found himself just watching, not wanting to break the moment as he tried to understand what was happening in front of him. Finally, after far too long, Lena abruptly pulled away and turned to where Wyatt stood. Their eyes met, and Wyatt saw raw anguish in them just before the shutters came down and her expression turned cold.

_"Ask Lena what she sees in her dreams." _Shanqil's softly spoken words came back to him with a wave of trepidation. Wyatt remained motionless as Lena said something to Dylan, and then stood and approached him slowly.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"We need to talk," Wyatt replied. "Somewhere private."

Lena looked frightened for a moment, and Wyatt mistook that reaction for fear of him. "It's just me…" he whispered. "When have I ever hurt you?"

"No! Wyatt… that's not what this is about!" Lena protested. But still, her mind drew up a memory that didn't even belong to her, of Wyatt snarling in a different future, _"You may be my blood, but I will tolerate treachery from no one, and you would do well to remember that, cousin."_

"Then what is it, what's going on?"

"Not here…" Lena said shiftily. "Could we… what about Up There? Could we go there?"

Wyatt frowned. It made no sense for them to go Up There for a simple conversation when the Manor was three blocks away, and the Vault one orb. But he didn't want to argue; if Lena needed to go there, then fine. He reached for her hand, and led her around the back of the building before orbing away.

* * *

They appeared beside a marble column, surrounding by comforting white light. No one was around, and Wyatt was thankful for that. He wasn't necessarily supposed to use this place as a hang out spot. "What's going on?"

"I don't think he can hear us up here…" Lena said quietly, pausing to see if she could feel Chris in the back of her mind. She smiled in relief. "He really can't… I had wondered but… this is amazing."

"Who are you talking about, Lena?" he asked. "Who can't hear us? Does this… does this have something to do with your dreams."

Lena's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

"Never mind, just tell me what's happened?"

"I… I saw Chris in my dreams. He's been using the telepathic link I have with him to spy on us." The words came out in a rush, so much easier since she had already told her story to the other Chris.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" he asked. "You can't go keeping secrets, Lena. That's what got us into this mess in the first place." Wyatt wanted to be angry, but her shadowed eyes prevented any real rage from appearing. He just felt weary. He wanted this to be over and done; he wanted Chris saved and for them to be what they were – the best of friends, the closest of family, and the most trusted confidants. Lena never used to lie to him (except about the other future, he reminded himself); he guarded over one of her darkest secrets, and he never thought that she would keep things from him. This was the second time she had kept a secret about Chris against him, and he didn't know how to react to that.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "I… I didn't tell anyone because… I don't know what to do, and if I said something then shouldn't I actually _do _something about this?"

"Wait… so what, you like talking to him inside your head? You don't want to put a stop to it?"

"It's not that, it's… I could close the connection, but if I do… then we could lose our Chris for good."

Wyatt deflated slightly. "And what? You thought I would want you to close it; you thought I would risk Chris?"

"I didn't want you to have to make that choice anymore than I want to make it!"

"Well there has to be a way to get him to stop listening in without closing the connection."

"But I've looked and looked, I couldn't find anything."

"Let me ask the Elders; they might have a solution for us."

Lena wasn't expecting them to have anything that could help; she didn't believe there was a way. So she was surprised when Wyatt returned to her across the mist, smiling grandly with a large stack of marble stones in his hands. "I talked to Paul. He said to put these in every corner of the Manor; they'll draw power from the Nexus to create a shield against unwanted telepathic interference. We just say a spell over them, asking them to block the Source, and probably we should also include Shanqil, and then you'll be safe in the Manor."

"Thank you, wow, thank you," Lena repeated. "I really didn't think there was a way… I feel so stupid for not saying something sooner."

"Then don't do it again," Wyatt said seriously. "We need to be open with each other; especially now. No more secrets, and definitely no lies."

She nodded in agreement.

Wyatt propped the marbles up against his shoulder and with his free hand he rubbed her back lightly. "I do understand though," he added. Lena herself was not sure that was true. Wyatt's emotions were conflicted – anger, irritation, disappointment, relief, fear, confusion, compassion, all wrapped together. She would get a headache trying to sort it all out. "But you should know, I spoke to Shanqil today."

"Wyatt!" she admonished. "You shouldn't have summoned her alone."

"I'm fine, she didn't even try anything. It was a pretty useless conversation actually. I just figured I couldn't end a conversation about honesty without telling you what I did. But I do have a favor I need from you."

"What?"

"Show me Chris."

"What?!"

"You said you spoke to him in your dreams? Well use that connection to go to him, and bring me with you. I said before… I need to see him; I need to see for myself what's been done to him."

"Okay," Lena replied, not liking this idea one bit. "Okay."

* * *

Lena and Wyatt sat cross-legged on the floor, face to face. Lena reached out into the air between them and Wyatt took her hands in his. "Whatever you do, don't let go of me," Lena warned.

Wyatt nodded. They both closed their eyes, and Lena's grip on Wyatt tightened. Wyatt felt a jerking sensation, and suddenly the blackness in front of his eyes changed.

Wyatt stood in a green field, bright sunshine shining in his face. Lena was beside him, clutching his arm and looking around worriedly. "Where is he?" Wyatt asked. Lena gestured in front of him and suddenly Chris appeared.

Chris' clothes were the quintessential black suit, with a black cloak draped over them. The grass around him turned brown as soon as he arrived, and everything in the vicinity shriveled and died. He looked around in confusion before his eyes settled on Lena and Wyatt. Then he smiled. "Good day, brother," Chris said jovially. "It has been too long."

"Chris…" Wyatt whispered, taking a step forward. Even with his expression twisted by hatred and evil; even with his demeanor changed, he was still Wyatt's younger brother.

"In a manner of speaking," Chris replied, his eyes flaming for a moment before turning back to Chris' green.

Wyatt took an involuntary step back. Even just in Lena's dreamscape, he could sense the power of the Source; he could see the aura of the strongest of their enemies surrounding the body of his brother. Empty words stuck to his tongue and he found himself speechless.

"So Lena, you pulled me from some important business, and for what? Just to say 'hello'? Or did you just miss me?"

Lena smiled hollowly, but the Source did not miss that she shrank back.

"Oh I see, you don't want to talk to me anymore? No need to be brave when big, strong Wyatt is here to protect you?" Wyatt looked up at that, the expression on his face nothing if not furiously protective. He sidestepped so he was in front of Lena, and glared at the Source. "You two," Chris laughed. "So predictable. How have you managed to stay alive this long, anyway?" He marched up to them, so close he was nearly in Wyatt's face. "So brother, what will you do? Are you here to announce your intention to kill me? Will you slice your mighty sword right through this face of mine?"

"First off, that face is not yours. Secondly, I _will _see to it that you are vanquished. Possessing Chris doesn't give you a free pass, if anything it makes us all the more determined to stop you."

"What a tiresome conversation. Let me know when you're ready to make good on all of your boasts." Without another word, Chris disappeared.

Wyatt opened his eyes to find himself back in the attic, Lena across from him. "I guess everyone was right… the Source, holy shit."

"You okay?" Lena asked hesitantly.

"Let me get back to you on that one," Wyatt replied, not meeting her gaze. He gestured to the marbles Paul had given him and they all orbed away and into the correct protective position in the house. "There… now you'll be alone in your head. I uh… I need some time by myself, okay?" She nodded and he orbed away.

* * *

"What's going on with you two?" Chris asked, looking between Wyatt and Lena who were pointedly avoiding looking in the others' direction. Lena had filled the rest of the family in on her conversations with the Source, and while not happy with her lies, they were not as angry at Lena seemed to think they would be. However, Wyatt had disappeared for hours earlier, and when he returned he was tense and irritated.

"Nothing," Wyatt muttered. "Everything's fine… or as fine as can be expected."

"Did something happen? Did you fight?"

"We're fine, Chris," Lena snapped.

"Wow okay, I _really _believe you now."

"Just drop it! You don't know us." Wyatt looked embarrassed the moment the words passed his lips, but he didn't apologize.

"Don't take this out on Chris!" Lena admonished. "You're mad at me – fine, but it's not his fault!"

"I'm not mad at you," Wyatt said, turning to her. "I'm _disappointed_."

"Oh for the love of… you're not my father, so stop talking like that! Just say it – you're pissed that I lied – say it!"

"Fine! I am pissed. The Halliwells have all turned into a bunch of goddamn liars! First Mom and the aunts, keeping this whole 'other future' thing from me and Chris, thinking it wouldn't matter, and you joining in on it. Well I think it actually turned out to be pretty important, don't you? Then Prue and Nel conspiring with a demon against us! And then Chris not telling me what was wrong with him! Aunt Phoebe shipping you off and tricking us into promising not to visit each other. First, you lie and say you didn't speak to Chris. Then it turns out – oh, he's actually been in your head this whole time – and yet you STILL didn't tell me! I'm not a child, I'm not an idiot! Did anyone ever stop to think that maybe I CAN handle the truth?! But no, you all think I'm some pathetic baby who will just fall apart. So you know what? You can all just shove it. If I'm such a baby, then I guess I don't have to be a part of this, because no one would except such a pathetic child to be able to stop the Source and save Chris. So go ahead, you guys figure it out, and call me when you've saved the day!" With that Wyatt stomped out of the room, orbing on his way out and leaving Lena and Chris alone.

Chris let out a low whistle and turned to Lena, ready to exchange a grimace or perhaps an eye-roll with her. But she had burst into tears. "Lena?" Chris said hesitantly, putting his hand on her shoulder. She shook him off and ran out of the room. Chris heard her bound down the stairs and the front door slam shut.

"What's going on?" Piper called from the foot of the stairs.

"I honestly have no idea," Chris replied. "I think they both finally cracked."

Piper glanced about nervously. "Should we have let them go like that? Should someone follow them?"

"I'll go get Phoebe and Dad."

* * *

"HEY, SOURCE!" Lena shouted. She was in the middle of an abandoned park, far from the Manor and its protections. She stumbled, and hit the ground on her knees. Her vision wavered and bent and she felt the Source tug at her mind. She closed her eyes and allowed the dreamscape to take over.

"You rang?" the Source asked.

She lunged at him, punching him across the mouth and hitting him over and over again. He didn't even try to fight back, just laughed as her fist connected with his cheek, as she pushed him down and snarled. "GIVE ME MY COUSIN BACK!" she shouted. "I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!"

Chris laughed louder and harder than before, and with a flick of his finger he threw her off of him. She landed on her back and he went silent. When she finally picked herself up it was to find Chris lying on the ground, green eyes wet with tears. "L…lena?" he whispered brokenly.

"Chris?" Lena asked, running over to him.

Then his eyes flamed and he laughed. "Gullible," he mocked.

Lena screamed in frustration and rage.

"There's an easier way, Lena," he said firmly. "Just take my hand, and you'll see." He held his hand out to her and she stared at it in disgust. "Come on, you know you want to, it'll make everything easier, I promise. We can all be together again; you, me, Wyatt, it'll be just like old times."

Lena stared at the hand for a long moment, and then shot a flame into it, setting his sleeve on fire. The Source growled and put it out. "Suit yourself," he said coldly and then ended their joint dream.

Lena came to face down in the grass. She pulled herself up on her elbows and blinked stupidly, her meeting with the Source firmly in her mind. She didn't bother getting up, she just laid her head on her arms and cried.

* * *

Wyatt appeared outside the door of his girlfriend's apartment, chest heaving and not sure why he was there. He banged on the door perhaps too loudly, and waited a beat before Anna wrenched it open, looking worried. "Wyatt, what's wrong?" she asked, looking him up and down for some sort of injury.

Wyatt nearly sobbed; of course she would look for injury, she had no idea that he could heal wounds; had no idea what he was or what he could do. Why was he even there?

"I can't do this anymore," he said.

"Can't do what?" she asked, ushering him inside and shutting the door.

"I don't want to talk," Wyatt said. He had told her all he could about Chris going missing without giving away his most important secret. But still, knowing how much he lied to her didn't make him feel any better about the anger he had for his family. "I just need to… to be with you." He pulled her towards him, crushing his lips over hers. She melted into him and he focused on nothing except her; her and him together.

* * *

Leo and Phoebe orbed to the park, appearing beside a wrought-iron bench. Phoebe looked around, searching for Lena. "There," Leo whispered, pointing to a figure on the ground. Phoebe's heart beat quickly in her chest and she ran to Lena, dropping down beside her. When she realized the girl was crying and not injured and dying, her breathing evened. She tenderly gathered Lena in her arms; Lena clinging to her, and soon Phoebe's cries were mixed with her daughter's. She held Lena tightly and lamented the situation they were all in.

* * *

Chris stood over the Book of Shadows, pondering. It was missing pages that had been there in his future, although there were extra ones he had never seen before. The index in the back was interesting, but he wondered if it hurt more than helped sometimes. He stopped on a spell he knew better than most; a time travel spell.

Chris let out a breath and laid his hand on it. Everything, good and bad, that was happening around them was the result of this spell. He closed his eyes and watched as his life passed by in his mind: each death, each betrayal, each decision that brought him to this moment. He removed his hand and stepped away from the Book. There were no answers to be found in a future that no longer existed.

* * *

**A/N: I know I haven't mentioned Anna in a long time; if you remember, she was the bartender Wyatt started dating towards the beginning of the story. She's not necessarily going to be featured at all, but it wouldn't do to have the Halliwells always so secluded to just each other. **

**I know a lot of people were frustrated with Lena keeping secrets from the family, so now everything has been aired out and everyone's been filled in. Wyatt's quick and easy solution just proves that she should have told them immediately! **

**Anyway, I'm really excited for the next chapter where the action gets a jump-start, and that should be up very soon. Thank you to everyone who's been reading, and let me know what you thought!**


	24. Headlong into Danger

A/N: This chapter gave me quite a bit of trouble. No matter how many times I tried to re-work it, it still turned into... well... this. I'm not overly pleased with it, but it furthers the story and as we're reaching the good parts I'd like to keep it moving. Thank you to everyone who's been reading, and enjoy this installment!

* * *

**Repercussions**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 24: Headlong into Danger

* * *

Morning saw a much more subdued Lena and Wyatt eyeing each other awkwardly as they ate breakfast. "The other Elders are sending Angelica down to help us," Leo announced.

"Isn't she the one you call all sorts of horrible names after your Elder meetings?" Wyatt asked.

"Yes," Leo responded hesitantly. "But she's supposedly the most knowledgeable about reuniting souls. We're not exactly well versed in the subject ourselves."

"Especially since I checked with the librarian in Magic School, and the only book she could suggest to me was the one Prue and Nel stole and gave to Dakian," Paige interjected.

Leo grimaced. "Well she'll be here soon. Be polite," he added, glancing at Wyatt, Chris, and Lena.

Angelica's orbs had a slightly yellow tinge to them, and she already looked stern and stiff when she appeared in the dining room. Leo gestured to the chair beside him, and she sat down in it as if with regal airs. "Angelica," Leo said. "My wife Piper, Phoebe, Alec, Paige, Wyatt, Lena, and Chris." Each person nodded as he said their names.

"Hello. Let's get down to business, shall we? You," she pointed at Lena. "Will have to reach Chris inside of the Source. Then all you do is draw him out of the Source, and then push him into the body of the whitelighter." Everyone just stared at her unfiltered statements.

"The whitelighter has a name," Wyatt said confrontationally.

"Well of course he does, but it would be confusing to keep calling both Chrises by their names."

"Why in Ch… _this _Chris' body?" Lena asked.

"The other Chris' body has been ravaged by evil; that sort of evil never really goes away. He would always be swayed to the wrong side."

They others nodded. "So when do we do this?" Phoebe asked.

"His soul has to be reunited on his birthday; so that both souls will be of the same age."

"But this Chris has been around since then…"

"Yes but as a whitelighter." She paused. "It's all very complicated; the important thing is that it must be on that date."

"Great, that leaves us, what, a little over a week?" Wyatt piped up.

"Yes indeed."

"And how are we supposed to get to the Source and rescue Chris before then? Why didn't you come "guide" us earlier?"

"Quite frankly I assumed you would have a better handle on the situation than you do. On November 16th you must remove the half-soul from the body inhabited by the Source, and then join it within the body of this Chris. After that, the Source must be vanquished."

There was a moment of silence following that pronouncement. The task before them was enormous and even if they succeeded, they would kill someone who was once Chris.

"How do I… remove his soul?" Lena asked, focusing on the step most important to her.

"It's a simple process for someone like you. I will teach you what you need to know. As for the rest of you; I suggest you work on fortifying this house, and come up with a plan for storming the Underworld and defeating the Source. It won't be easy, but you must break through his defenses and hold him long enough for that piece of soul to be ripped from him."

"Oh is that all we have to do?" Wyatt asked sarcastically. "I'll have that polished off by breakfast."

"Wyatt," Leo said in a warning tone.

Wyatt shrugged and stood up. "I'll go…" he seemed to not have thought of a location and so paused. "I'll go see if any of the books at Magic School will help."

"That is a very good idea, Wyatt," Angelica said. "Bring them back here with you."

"I'll go with you," Chris said. Wyatt grimaced but did not tell Chris to stay behind. The two stepped away from the table and disappeared together.

"Alright then Lena, shall we?" Angelica asked, standing and leading her to the sunroom. Lena nodded and followed silently.

* * *

"We know that Chris' soul can only be reunited on his birth date. We should therefore assume the Halliwells are aware of this as well. Therefore, they must be planning to attack us near Chris' birth date and so we must move quickly to strike first, my lord. We need to capture the whitelighter in order to finish the spell that will prevent them from tampering with the half soul inside of my lord's body," Shanqil said.

The Source considered this, eyes flicking between each demon seated at the long table in his "war room." "Do any of you really believe they have the power to harm me?"

The other demons averted their eyes and remained silent, but Shanqil met his dark gaze. "They very well could. If Chris' soul is ripped from that body, you will be gravely wounded and your campaign against the Halliwells will be greatly harmed. They are powerful witches, and my lord would do well to remember that."

"I will concede on that point, Shanqil. What sort of attack do you propose?"

"The Charmed Ones."

"The Charmed Ones…" Chris parroted. "Why them and not Wyatt or Lena? Why not take the whitelighter directly?"

"The Charmed Ones have more age and experience over the younger Halliwells. They have twice vanquished you, and they are the most capable of calling upon that vanquishing spell once more. With them out of the way, the younger Halliwells will be shocked; distraught, and their protection greatly diminished."

"I suppose now is not the time for pettiness or revenge… though I so wanted to see the looks upon their faces when I slaughtered their children. I suppose you have a plan concocted already?"

"Of course sire," she smiled. "I will lure the Charmed Ones to the East chamber, where Dakian and I will await their arrival. Once there, we will utilize the ancient magic of that place to kill them."

"That simple?"

"Yes."

The Source nodded, giving his authority for her to continue with her plan and then left the assembled group. "Simple? You believe defeating the Charmed Ones will be simple?" Dakian asked, slack-jawed.

"Do not fear Dakian; I would not embark on this journey lightly. If we cannot vanquish the Charmed Ones, then we shall have to… detain them… for a time."

"A plan B, Shanqil?"

"Always."

* * *

Phoebe gripped the front porch railing tightly, leaning against it and gasping as images unbidden flew through her mind. She shook as she slowly lowered herself onto the steps and turned to the concerned faces staring at her. "Premonition?" Paige asked, the door to the Manor open behind her. Something had called Phoebe outside, and when nearly trance-like she had left the house, the others had followed her.

"More like a warning," Phoebe breathed, resting her head in her hands.

"What did you see?" Piper said, sitting across from her.

"Shanqil and Dakian. They were killing everyone… Chris, Lena, Wyatt, the twins, Alec… everyone except us."

"But it wasn't a real premonition, right?" Piper said quickly, worrying over her sons who were at Magic School.

"No, no, it wasn't. It was sort of like… remember she made us see that illusion before? It was almost like that. Then she spoke to me; said that they wanted to face the three of us, not the kids – us. She must have called me outside, since she can't really get into my head while inside anymore."

"A challenge?" Paige said stiffly. Part of her itched to accept it while another part thought it was crazy.

"Yes."

"We'd be playing right into their hands," Piper pointed out.

"Do we really have a choice? Considering the alternative?" The others looked pensive.

"If we managed to vanquish Shanqil and Dakian, it would definitely tip the scales in our favor," Paige said slowly. "I mean think about it; we're supposed to go in on Chris' birthday and fight our way through the two of them and all of the Source's guards to get the Source alone. It'd be nearly impossible."

"You're right," Piper sighed. "But why would they even challenge us? It has to be a trap."

"Fact is, she gave away more than she thought," Phoebe said. "I recognized the room they were in; from when Cole was the Source; I think if I "gave" the location to either you Paige or Leo we could orb down there."

"Strike them on our terms rather than theirs?" Paige said. "Well I say let's do it. I'm tired of doing nothing."

"If we fail… if we get killed…" Piper shook her head. She looked away for a moment. "But if we can… we need to try, we need to take them out before they hurt our kids."

Phoebe nodded decisively. "Let's do it."

* * *

"So we've worked it all out, Paige will be able to orb us all down," Phoebe explained to Leo and Alec.

"Yes, and we're leaving the kids home," Piper said quietly.

"We are?" Leo asked. "Why?"

"It's too dangerous, we can't risk them, not when we need them to save Chris and stop the Source. We can't even tell them we're going."

"No I don't think Wyatt would stay behind like a good little boy while we ran headlong into danger," Paige sighed.

"And we couldn't stop him either," Piper added. "The price we pay for letting our kids get stronger than us."

"Well we have the Power of Three on our side; that still puts us a step above them," Phoebe pointed out. "We can confront Dakian and Shanqil just the three of us and Leo – like old times."

"Oh sure just like old times; you're leaving me behind as well," Alec said angrily.

"Someone has to stay with them; what good would it do them if all of us were killed at once?" Phoebe argued.

"Then Leo should stay this time."

"Alec…"

"Dakian is too strong, Phoebe! How long has it been since you've fought without Wyatt and Chris alongside? Think about it! You'll need an extra witch."

Phoebe turned to him, eyes large and beseeching. "Alec…" she said pleadingly. "Don't you understand? I can't go there without knowing that if something happens to me, you'll be there for Lena and the boys. They're strong, and they're technically adults, but they still need a helping hand, and they need a witch to be that for them. That's why you need to stay behind, _please_."

Alec conceded, and pulled Phoebe to him for a brief kiss and hug. "If anything happens… tell her I'm sorry," she whispered into Alec's ear. "And that I love her." Alec nodded, and watched as she went back to her sisters, who all seemed determined yet fearful.

Alec exchanged a significant glance with Piper and Leo. "I'll look after them, you know I will," he said solemnly. They nodded their thanks and then the three Charmed Ones and the Elder orbed away.

* * *

Chris was moving stacks of books when the sense he always kept on the look-out for his family twinged. "Wyatt?" he said, turning to where the blond was checking the title of a book against the list in his hand.

"Yeah?"

"Did you feel that? Mom, Dad, Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige just left…"

Wyatt was silent for a moment, searching, and then his eyes widened.

* * *

"Where are they?" Wyatt demanded, flipping pages in the Book.

"Can't you sense them?" Chris asked. Wyatt closed his eyes, sensing for them.

"What's going on?" Lena said, stopping dead in the doorway to the attic and staring at them. Angelica had finally left, and she had thought that Wyatt and Chris were at Magic School. Her father followed her in; expression grim. Chris quietly filled her in, but did not take his eyes off of Wyatt.

Wyatt's eyes snapped open. "The Underworld… they're in the Underworld. What are they doing there?"

"Wyatt, Chris… you can't go after them," Alec said stiffly.

"Chris' and Wyatt's eyes snapped to their uncle. "They're off fighting, aren't they? Why? Who?!" Chris demanded.

Lena concentrated, trying to force a premonition. However, when it came, the vision pulled Lena in with furious intensity. Her mother, Piper, Paige, and Leo were in a dark cavern. She could barely see them, and she caught flashes of fighting when they stepped into the candlelight. She heard Paige scream and then saw her thrown on the ground, bleeding. "We have to get help!" Piper shouted. Leo ran for the exit, but the only opening in the cavern closed up, a metal grate locking into place. He pulled at it and tried to blast it out of the way, but they were trapped.

Lena gasped as she came back to herself, and quickly told the others what she'd seen.

"We have to help them!" Wyatt said. "Come on!" Chris and Lena grabbed hold of him. Alec reached out for them but just missed grabbing hold of them as they disappeared into orb lights.

Wyatt tried to orb to the cavern itself, but the magical protections around it prevented him from reaching it, and so he orbed them as close to the cavern as he could.

* * *

Wyatt, Chris, and Lena ran as fast as they could, Wyatt breaking out in front of them as they raced towards where their mothers and aunts were. They could hear the sounds of battle; magic and screams, and they sprinted even faster. Lena stumbled, a stabbing pain in her chest. Her vision flashed and she looked down to see her hands covered in blood. She looked to the side and saw her aunts and Leo standing side-by-side, railing against Shanqil and Dakian who were wreathed in protective light and snarling. A great wave of energy was thrown at them, and Lena screamed before she realized that she was seeing through her mother's eyes.

The vision ended and Lena found herself on the ground, Chris trying to tug her to her feet, Wyatt very far ahead of them. She stood and ran again, her heart pounding and her head filled with flashes of images and sounds that did not belong to her. She caught bits of pieces of the scene; Shanqil was reciting a spell, tendrils of magic shooting out of her fingertips and wrapping around the Charmed Ones. Their screams of pain echoed in her head.

Wyatt ran as fast as he could, he didn't even have time to run terrifying scenarios through his mind; he focused solely on moving as quickly as possible, on getting there on time. He had to get there in time to save them, there was no other option. He heard Lena fall but he did not slow down. So long as he made it; he could help them.

They were inches from the chamber when suddenly an explosion ripped through it. One moment Wyatt was running, and the next he was thrown; he was lifted off the ground as the explosion tore through the stone walls around them and decimated everything in the area. His body hit something hard and then his vision went black.

When Wyatt blinked back to awareness he saw Chris standing over him. "Chris?" he coughed. He tried to move but large pieces of rock were piled on top of him. "Are you okay?"

"Still a Whitelighter, remember; can't be hurt. I just orbed out of the debris. Can you move at all? I didn't want to shift the rock in case…"

Wyatt merely gestured with his head and all of the rock on top of him was orbed aside. He dusted himself off, wincing at the various bruises that were forming, but glad that he hadn't broken any bones. "Lena?" he asked.

"I don't know. She was beside me just before the blast," Chris replied. Wyatt stood, searching around for her. Finally he did the easiest thing. Casting his hand out in the direction Chris said he had woken up in, he said "Lena" and orb lights immediately removed his cousin from beneath the rocks and she appeared in his arms. Her eyes were open and staring, and Wyatt's heart lurched. He lowered her to the ground and healed whatever small injuries he could find. "Lena?" he whispered.

"Mom…" she breathed brokenly, placing her hand over her heart.

Wyatt turned, staring at the gaping hole where the cavern they had been running towards once was. Leaving Lena and Chris, he climbed over the rocks and stepped into it. Two scorch marks burned into the stone from wherever Dakian and Shanqil flamed out, but the cavern was a wreck. It had been obliterated; along with anything or anyone who had been inside. "Mom?! Dad?!" Wyatt called. "Answer me!" He reached out with his whitelighter power of sensing, but he couldn't feel them. "MOM!" He gestured at the rocks shouting for her, but no answering orb lights appeared.

"No…" Chris whispered from somewhere behind him. "NO!" Chris began to manually throw pieces of debris aside, scrabbling frantically. "Not again, please not again!"

"We were too late…" Wyatt said. "They're… they're…"

"No! Don't say it! Don't you dare say it!" Chris screamed, suddenly in Wyatt's face. He shoved his brother, hard. "They're fine! They're here!"

"They're not here!" Wyatt shot back.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Chris said, turning away. "I was supposed to have fixed everything." His knees gave way and he hit the ground, tears streaming down his face. "It's not fair."

Wyatt heard far off footsteps and sensed evil creatures. "We have to go," he said. They were confused, tired, shocked; they couldn't fight now.

"No," Chris said stubbornly. Behind him Lena stood up and looked between the two, eyes far-off.

"We have to," Wyatt replied. Without giving Chris a chance to stop him, he grabbed hold of him and gestured his hand in Lena's direction, orbing all three of them back to the Manor.

* * *

Wyatt sank heavily onto the couch, watching as Chris paced back and forth in front of him. Lena was staring at the window, but Wyatt could tell she wasn't really looking at it. Forgetting that they had left Alec in the attic, Wyatt and Chris looked up hopefully when they heard footsteps descending. "Did you find them?" Alec asked quickly.

Wyatt slowly shook his head and Chris began to pace again. "There was…" Wyatt began. "There was an explosion."

Alec stared at him, dumbstruck. He looked at each of them in turn, waiting for someone to contradict Wyatt.

"Shanqil and Dakian," Lena whispered. "She was saying a spell… they couldn't get away. Mom was hurt… they weren't strong enough."

"But you didn't find their… their bodies?" Alec asked.

Wyatt shook his head. "The explosion… there wouldn't be anything left to find."

"If you didn't find remains, then there's still a chance that they're alive."

Chris paused and turned to him. "We could ask Grams, she'd know."

Chris and Wyatt ran to the attic, and set up the candles to summon a spirit. But no matter how many times they tried the spell, no one answered their call. They were alone.

Alec stood grimly in the doorway, a spectator to it all. "Fine," he said after their last try. "Then it's my… it's my job to take charge of everything. We'll have to operate as if… as if they are gone. We need to save Chris, we need to vanquish the Source. But first, everyone needs some rest. Good quality rest. I'm going to put some protections up around your beds, then I expect everyone to sleep." No one was in the mood to protest.

* * *

Wyatt lay awake for a long time, listening as Lena and the Chris finally fell asleep, their breathing evening out. He stared at the ceiling, fighting off sleep. He replayed what happened over and over, searching for the mistakes he surely made; searching for some explanation for it all. Lena mumbled something in her sleep, and Wyatt turned to her, checking to be sure that she was alright. He saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye, and sat up so he could see what it was. His uncle Alec was standing in the doorway, watching over them, his eyes filled with grief. They looked at each other, shared a moment of despair before Alec turned away. The look on his uncle's face troubled Wyatt before he fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think - are the Charmed Ones dead or not? Liked it? Hated it? Let me know!


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